RIFLE RANGE BOY

The Great Gatsby(1974) ' "Don't criticize, others did not have the advantages that you had!"'. That is what Nick Carraway's father told him and that is the motto he lived by as he sees the antics the people do in the roaring 20s. He starts job selling bonds and lives as a neighbour to a mysterious character named Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford). Gatsby is an obscenely wealthy character who enjoys holding boisterously wild parties to attendees who usually come uninvited and leave even without knowing who the host is! In keeping with the F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, this ambiance, costumes and settings are very reminiscent of the 20s where the fairer sex found their new found freedom and expression. The prosperity in the land also fueled many of the vices of man - adultery, drunkenness and  bigotry. Nick (Sam Waterston) is caught in the centre of two extramarital affairs and how it ruins everyone's family. He was just a passenger, watching the world go b...

Midnight's Children (2012) It has been said that Salman Rushdie could not sell his movie to any studio. So, he finally sold its right to a company for $1 as it was a personal achievement for him - his 1981 Booker prize book being made into a movie. Almost a year after its release, Rushdie is yet to receive his $1! This story is a quasi-historical quasi-masala British-Canadian movie shot mainly in Sri Lanka, not Pakistan or India where the story happens, for fear of backlash for Hindu or Muslim communities. It tells a tale of a boy who was born on the stroke of midnight on the date India obtained Independence. It is a sort of a biography of his grandparents all the way down to his son with the history of India and the turmoil it went through the 20th century, from the serene lakes of Kashmir in 1917 through the blackest hour of  Emergency in 1977 in the background. The film had an impressive ensemble of famous Bollywood, Kollywood and even British-American actors - Rahul ...

The Great Gatsby (Literary Classic) F. Scott Fitzgerald Another coincidence again... Just as I was about to watch the 1974 edition of The Great Gatsby movie, now that there is a new version of this movie and I cannot seem to download online, my daughter handed me this classical 1925 American literature which is used by many school as their English literature text. The edition that I read is a 150 odd pages' Penguin edition and is probably abridged for younger readers. It was certainly a much simpler read than the 'King Solomon's mines' and '20,000 leagues under the Sea' that I had to grapple with in my early secondary school days. GG is a simple story of the  narrator, Nick's neighbour in New York, the mysterious filthy rich Jay Gatsby. Gatsby, with his humble beginning, became miraculously rich through bootlegging alcohol, tries to rekindle his old romantic relationship with Daisy. Unfortunately, Daisy was married to Tom. Tom, on the other hand, h...

Living in the Material World (Documentary, 2011) Director:Martin Scorsese No, this documentary has nothing to do with Madonna and her living in a material world.   Yes, we do not seem to have enough of the Beatles. The Beatles can never die. Scores of decades from now, we will still be talking about these four lads from Liverpool and their ability to transform the world music scene.   Well, this documentary is not about the Fab Four per se but was the product of his widow's perspective on the quiet Beatle. It starts with a look at his humble beginnings in the Beatles as the go-along non-assertive guy. The decisions in the band were made primarily by Lennon and McCartney. He was always composing songs in the background, only to have his compositions steamrolled by the domineering duo.   I suppose after maturing along the way, he demanded recognition and walked out of the Beatles even before the final break-up. A good proportion of the 3hour 2-part show is devoted to hi...

I have heard this story about the bubble going to burst for at least 20 years now. The bubble had been resilient all this while. Whilst the bubble is threatening to break at all times, it still keeps on growing and growing till a time it reaches the point of no return. To identify that proverbial straw that breaks the camel is indeed the million dollar question. Our purchasing power is limited, no doubt about that. A purchase of a decent TV would eat up a month's salary of an average new graduate, whilst in a developed country it would be a fraction (less than a  quarter). Social safety nets are limited, hence the drive to be self sufficient and build your stockpile for a rainy day is not a necessity but also a life saver. 

Pandora's box (1992) (6 episodes documentary by Adam Curtis) In the Greek mythology, Pandora's Box is said to be the wedding present given by Zeus to Pandora. There was strict instruction to keep it locked and the key was given to her husband, Epimetheus for safe keeping. Curiosity took the better of her. She stole the key when Epimetheus was asleep to unleash all the evils of the world. She quickly shut it but it was too late. When she and her husband opened it later, all the evils were out in world but they was still... HOPE! In the same vein, it looks like all the manoeuvres done by man to improve mankind turns out to be a double edged sword. Like the contents of the Pandora's Box, all the evil effects of the scheme is unleashed but there is always hope. #01 The Engineer's Plot.  After the Czar is toppled, the Bolsheviks and the bourgeois engineers (the skilled engineers working with the Czar) thought the best way to liberate Russia is to use rational scienti...