Don't you pick a bone with me!

I take back what I said about successful Western movies needing to show flesh (lots of it) to stay on top. I stay corrected after watching Winter's Bone, another gem from my friendly Ah Long cum DVD peddler from his vast vault and arsenal of illegal digital video decoders. This time around I had the depressing pleasure of viewing an indie production which won at the 2010 Sundance film festival and nominated for the 2011 Grammy.
Depressing pleasure must be a new entity created to highlight the act of finding solace in relating to movie scenes of the suffering of common people in their lives and feeling happy that he has overcome it. These scenarios are sine qua non of good Tamil movie in Amma's definition where she would be in red tear-welled eyes after watching a movie and say, "What a good movie!"

Jennifer Lawrence: Academy award nominee

My children, who think that everything is hunky dory in the Land of Opportunity (USA) - Starbucks, McD and everyone is cultured and learned, should watch this. The props are set in the frosty cold bleak grey hued Mid West where times are hard. Methamphetamine is a perennial problem in this land of farmers, work is scarce, men are violent, women are second class citizens where might rules. Upon this backdrop, our 17 year old heroine has to run the household with a catatonic schizophrenic mother, two preteen siblings and a farm which may be repossessed after her father jumps bail. It is a depressing movie minus the exaggeration of an Indian movie. There is no attempted rape or attempting to bed scenes and our heroine is fully clothed throughout the show!

Superior boss and humble servant?
or maverick and suckers?

The plot takes us through her quest to discover her meth-cooking father's whereabouts to save her house and her family in a jungle of secretive and hostile white trash world in one of the Bible belt states of the country that has the biggest GDP in the world.

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Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar: The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad (Telegu, 2024) Director: Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari and Dr Jaya Shreedhar. ( Abs: Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...

RIFLE RANGE BOY

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