RIFLE RANGE BOY

Narcos (Mini-series, Season 1, Bilingual English-Spanish; 2015) This is the biography of the man who rocked the richest nation in the world through his drug smuggling activities. What started as a small drug problem in the fringes of the country eventually became a big problem when a significant amount of money was siphoned out of the country that it started hurting the economy. Then, the US Government and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) took notice. It is a classic case of karma biting back. In the 60s, Chile was the biggest producer of cocaine in the world. Its isolated terrain was an ideal cover for their clandestine production. It was the era of the Cold War. The US, as the de facto leader of the capitalistic world, had a moral obligation to ‘protect’ Latin American countries from the control of their nemesis, the USSR. They manoeuvred Pinochet to take control of Chile. Pinochet brought about many changes, initially, to the country. The army also took a tough stand to go on an a...

I remember one of my classmates, KT, asking a teacher when we were in Form 2. It was a Malay language class. And the guy had a coarse way of demanding an answer to his question. He asked,  “Why are the people so stupid? Why do people say, ‘ jatuh hati ’ when you fall in love, ‘ patah hati’ when you are heart-broken or falling out of love?” trying to sound like a smart alec. “We think with our brain, not liver!” ( Hati  is liver in the Malay language) Sounds like a simple question but believe me, it is not. Greek philosophers have been arguing that the soul a person is in the heart or the mind. It was Galen who first proposed the tripartite division of souls; the rational one in the brain, the spiritual one in the heart and appetitive one in the liver. As love and lust are forms of desire just as appetite satisfies the culinary desires of an individual, they must have bundled to arise from the liver. So, the message is, do not listen to heart, do not rational...

“It is 5.23 am,” I told myself as I glanced at my watch. “I guess I got up early. Anyway, SK should be here right about now, right on the dot at 5.30am, as he has always been. Today is not going to be any different.” I plugged on my earphones to hear the continuation of a podcast that I listened to all through the previous week. It was a day before the full moon, but the cloudy skies and the lack of street lights made the street look pretty dark. I sat on the raised stone fence as the auto-gate slowly closed from inside. Far behind a parked car, I could see a moving shadow. It looked like the silhouette of two stocky legs pacing haphazardly as if they were swaying. At once, I thought that it must be the neighbour’s son who must be struggling back to his home after a long Saturday night out with the guys. “Wow!” I was thinking as I symbolically pat myself on the back for keeping up with the routine all these years despite the raging inner demons and concerned naysayers who ke...

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (2016) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional character has stood the time. From the time he appeared in the Strand Magazine to the eagerly waiting die-hard fans to read about his next case and the time he was the subject of many movies and TV series, he continues to excite the masses. Over the years, the stories get only more attractive. This time around, he is trying to solve a century old unexplained murder of two men; one after she had apparently shot herself through her head in a suicide then return to kill another! The complicated thing is that he is doing through a stuporous state of a self-proclaimed regulated dose of cocaine in the system. Holmes is the 21st century, and he goes in and out of consciousness as he tries to find the answer to the perplexing question, how ghosts commit murder? At the same time, he has to fight his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, the devious ‘Napoleon of crime’. The role of Holmes is assumed again by Benedict Cum...

Mr. Nobody (2009) When the Big Bang occurred, the Universe was thrown into propulsion into space. We are still in the process being propelled in space in an entity that we call time. There could come a time when the energy of the Big Bang would run dry. What happens next? Is time going to recoil and time would move backward? Are all things done in life going to be undone? Is the smoke going return the amber? Is the water droplet going to go back to the jar? This moment of contraction is named ’The Crunch’. There is also the concept of an alternative universe after the Big Bang where only some people would appreciate. Then there is a concept of entropy. Things in the world are destined for gradual destruction. It this how the world ends? This film depicts alternative paths that our lives would have taken if we had made different choices in life. The story is somewhat along the lines of ’Sliding Doors’ and the Polish film “Blind Chance’. The plots are more complicated, though. Whic...

Enter the Void (2006) Void? Empty space? Our inner soul, void? That is how our universe is supposed to be. Mostly void, to be filled with pockets of existence. The existence or mere presence? The Mayans used coca leaves with respect and reaped maximum benefit from it. The Tarahumara Indians and tribes from the Amazon used DMT sparingly to give them superhuman powers to complete mammoth tasks. Specific components of marijuana are actually irreplaceable in treating some intractable childhood seizures. Even the great Muslim physician and philosopher Avicenna found his inspiration late into the night in the company of his wine after his daily worldly and divine duties. Some workers even suggested low dose psychedelics allay anxiety, to heighten sensation and to explore the hidden crevices of our creative potential (think Beatles). Unfortunately, these potentially life-saving drugs had not been given their appropriate place in society. Quite often than not, they have been abused a m...

Pi ( π; 1998) In school, we were thought about the Pythagoras theorem to calculate the length of a hypotenuse. In actual fact, he was more than a mere mathematician. He was a philosopher who studied mathematics in Egypt, started a school and the Pythagorean movement. The Pythagoreans believe that everything that exists in the universe follow a particular pattern and can be explained rationally using mathematic calculations. Some Pythagoreans have a strict code of conduct, were vegetarians and avoided certain nuts. Numbers formed the basis of this black & white psychological drama. It tells of a socially awkward man who has a fascination with numbers. He lives alone in an apartment in Chinatown, trying as much as possible to avoid contact with other people including his neighbours. He is troubled by a recurrent debilitating headache for which he needs to consume myriad of drugs and administer a subcutaneous injection. He has his computer which he uses to predict the outcome o...

Ola Bola (Malaysian; 2016) Two weeks into its release, the theatres are still packed. Audiences of various ethnicity and ages still throng to give a glimpse at this film that dwells on nostalgia that most of us who grew up in the 70s still vividly remember. Yes, the time when we were a football force to be reckoned with.  We were at par with present day doyens like Japan and South Korea. It rekindles the time when we had to reproduce and visualise in our minds the football actions that took place on the field with the help of the radio commentator and the transistor radio. Despite not being in the thick of the action, we still had the dry sensation at the back of our throats as the time ticked and attempts at the opponent's goalmouth proved futile. We still missed that heartbeat when our strikers hit the ball on the goal post. And the unison cry of victory when Super Mokh scored that winning goal. When television became available and live telecast of matches became the norm...

After attaining such a stature in life, there is nothing that excites him anymore. He is now looking for that elusive eudaemonia. He is following the footsteps of Plato to reach the state of eternal bliss, but the path to Nirvana seem to be paved with uneven pebbles. After visiting Greece, he is fascinated with the Greeks and their forward thinking philosophers, particularly Plato. He has started thinking more, asking the meaning of it all, of life and the baggage that comes with it. He is trying to self-explore himself, with the hope that he can identify his strong and weak points. He yearns to engage in Socratic discussions with his ever cynical colleague who think that he is blasphemous by questioning the orders of the Universe. They tell him that he is too feeble to ask, let alone to understand, the purpose of it all. He heard that Plato has advised to one seeking fulfilment to reach out to find a lover who can change him and ease him in goal. Unfortunately, that is not a vi...

Airlift (Hindi; 2016) This must be something new for Indian cinema; re-enacting something that happened in the not-so-distant past. Something that is fresh in everybody’s memory, the provider and the affected parties. It is the story of 170,000 Indians who were stranded in Kuwait in 1990 when Saddam Hussein invaded the country. It highlights the hard work of a single Indian businessman in organising a safe passage for his countrymen. Ranjith Katiyal is a shrewd trader who walks amongst kings and politicians. He tries as much as possible to assimilate into his host country, listening to their music and trying to understand their culture. All that took a turn when Kuwait was invaded, and he had to fend himself, his family and many of his fellow countrymen. He fights an uphill battle to ensure of his people and assuring transport out of the country. On one hand, there are the barbaric women-crazy Iraqi soldiers and their money-hungry leaders. Then there are the lethargic bureaucra...

See the haughty lady who is pleased with the judgement of  splitting the baby to appease both parties. Of course, the wise  one used it as a test to look for both mothers' body language. The turn of events of late reminded me of a story narrated in my early childhood. I was a toddler when puthu atteh was renting a room in our house. It was a routine for us to pester her every evening with yet another story. She had a penchant for telling folk tales in such an exciting manner. I must have seen such a pain, as I remember, asking many smart-alec questions. After all, it was all just fairy and folk tales. The tale that comes to mind is the one regarding two women fighting over a single baby, and the learned King had to pass judgment.  Of course, this story had been told in many traditions. In Tamil mythology, King Pandiyan of the Chola Kingdom was the judge; King Solomon presided in the Biblical version.  I am sure there must be similar versions elsewhere i...

Snow Phoenix and Me Author: Arthur Y. T. Foo When I got this book from my friend, the author, Arthur Foo, I asked him jokingly, “So you are naming your books after your girlfriend now?” He hushed me and was quick to rebut, “Not so loud, not in front of my wife!” with a coy smile and a wink. Just like his cheeky smile, this is a playful novella set at the tail end of the glorious Chinese dynasties. It is the turbulent of times, and political upheaval is the order of the day. Against this background starts the story of a mix breed Red Indian-Chinese hitman a.k.a Mr. Clean. During one of his hits, he becomes weak in the knees and falls hopelessly in love with a painter at the scene of an assassination! The field is set for an adventure of cat and mouse chase as he goes into hiding when his sifu warns him of imminent danger. Mr. Clean goes into hiding but not without his new found love. The tale goes on to narrate their escapade as they hit the old country road from Shanghai all t...

Paprika (Anime, Japan; 2006) Since the time of Aristotle, people have been fascinated with dreams. The ability of the soul to perceive without any sensory input had drawn many theories in trying to explain this phenomenon. In an attempt to justify its existence, some philosophers had invoked the work of the Divine. It had been many a time, in various cultures, been the way the Divine Forces used to communicate with mortals. Some had taken the subliminal message or even wild dreams to heart. They would take it as a test of their faith! Sigmund Freud placed a lot of emphasis on dreams. He often rationalised dream as an expression of the inner suppressed emotions. In modern times, it tends to be looked upon as the a rebooting of the system before it starts operating again the following day. Anime, animation movies from Japan, typically from manga comics have been gaining popularity beyond the shores of its production. What started off as simple cartoon stories have now evolved int...

Karnan (Tamil; 1964) I vividly remember my history teacher and her inappropriate remark when we covered Indian Civilisation in Form 1. She was explaining Mahabharata, an epic story of a war between two families, Pandavas and Kauravas where Krishna was on the side of the Pandavas. She remarked, “Can you imagine a war where God takes sides?” Well, the truth is far from that. Well, the truth has so many layers to it that the truth may not appear like the Truth, the real Truth and the only Truth. It may seem wrong or cruel. This is the essence of the lesson all the ancient scriptures are trying to tell us. Everything that happens in life is not all white or black. The Pandavas are not the good guys. Neither are Kauravas epitome of evil. Is it determinism that made a son fight his brothers? Is it the free will of the people around us that decide on daily occurrences? Does one good deed deserves another, is it like a token that we can use as ‘get out of jail’ free card? These are s...

5 of the worst atrocities carried out by the British Empire Samuel Osborne | The Independent | Jan 20, 2016, 07.34 PM IST A new YouGov poll has found the British public are generally proud of the British Empire and its colonial past. YouGov found 44 per cent were proud of Britain's history of colonialism, with 21 per cent regretting it happened and 23 per cent holding neither view. The same poll also found 43 per cent believed the British Empire was a good thing, 19 per cent said it was bad and 25 per cent said it was "neither". At its height in 1922, the British empire governed a fifth of the world's population and a quarter of the world's total land area. Although the proponents of Empire say it brought various economic developments to parts of the world it controlled, critics point to massacres, famines and the use of concentration camps by the British Empire. 1. Boer concentration camps Armed Afrikaners on the veldt near Ladysmith during the second ...

Youth without youth (2007) Quite a bizarre movie which never got much of a positive review, especially as this film was Francis Ford Coppola’s offering after a ten years hiatus. This movie tried to marry the mysticism of philosophy, the charm of the era circa pre-WW2 Continental Europe and the lure of lost love. Unfortunately, the marriage looked unpromising from the start with the broody faced Tim Roth (of ‘Lie to Me’ TV series fame). A 70 something professor is hit by lightning and miraculously survives his ordeal after what seems like a near 100% burn of total body surface! His body regrows his teeth and skin appendages and gives him a youthful glow of a 30year man. Before the accident, he used to be a multi-lingual seeker of knowledge and learner of languages. Amidst the sprawling Nazi troops, who are very anxious to discover the secret of his recovery in their quest for making the superior man, the professor, manages to fall in love with a lady who, after being caught in a...

Life is so full of these... The story of the prodigal son sounded simple enough when he heard it in Sunday School. The story of a wayward younger son who was a rebel who could not conform to the norms of the society and family. He wanted out, demanded his dues as the rightful heir to his father's property and left the household to enjoy life and slither into the trap of hedonism. When his finances went dry, and he was diseased, his 'faithful' friends disappeared. Helpless, hungry and weak, at life’s pits, at the pig’s sty, he dragged his sorry self back to his father's estate, hoping to work at least as a slave. Hold behold, the father was so happy to see him back that he received him with open arms and threw a party. The take home lesson then was that God (or your parents) are always there not matter how low you fall in life! They do not judge. What came to my mind of late is the action of the elder son. He was vilified as the bad one at the end of the story. Eve...