The filth of the city?

The Asphalt Jungle (1955)

Director: John Huston

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Category:The_Asphalt_Jungle_(film)

This is one of those movies where viewers do not get attached to any of the actors but rather enjoy the storyline, dialogue, and the nitty-gritty of how a crime is organised. This is way, way back before we had 'The Italian Job' and the like. 

Every character is vital in the film, yet none should overshadow the others. The main plot revolves around a heist, masterminded by Doc, a recently released model prisoner who devised a major diamond theft while working as a librarian during his incarceration. 

He approaches a small-time bookie, Cobby, with his plan. Doc needs money to pay the right men for the job. A seemingly wealthy lawyer, Emmerich, then arrives, promising to finance the operation and handle the loot. In reality, Emmerich is broke and plans to cheat the robbers out of the jewels to keep them for himself. 

The real reason people tuned in to watch this movie is Marilyn Monroe. She appears as Emmerich's ditsy mistress and may be the cause of Emmerich's poverty, as she is costly to keep. Monroe leaves a lasting impression on viewers and establishes herself as a true legendary performer here. Her sultry, naive 'damsel in distress' persona stands out in scenes where she has to lie for her master. 

A locksmith is hired, and a local thug named Dix is brought in. Dix is a disillusioned man who wears a perpetual frown. He is fed up with city living and yearns to return to the peaceful country life that he left behind for a better life in the city. Now, he sees the city as an indelible dirt that permanently stains the skin. In his bitterness, he fails to appreciate the love that his girlfriend, Doll, shows him.

The robbery proceeds as planned without a hitch, but the TNT used to break the safe detonates nearby alarms, alerting the police. The thieves escape with the merchandise, but not before a confrontation with a guard. One of the robbers is shot, but all three manage to flee in the pre-arranged getaway car. From that moment, it becomes a downward spiral as each one falls apart due to internal squabbles and police apprehension.

It is a very intense film. One can almost feel the heat and the filth that the city exudes. To the characters in the movie, breaking the law is normalised. The police are not friends, but people you need to be wary of. They have seen enough corrupt policemen. The film also features many memorable and classic lines.

Experience has taught me never to trust a policeman. Just when you think one's all right, he turns legit.

One way or another, we all work for our vice.

Home is where the money is.

Worth the while. 8/10. It went on to win many accolades and was selected for preservation in the US National Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

A swipe at high society?

Decoupled (Miniseries; 2021)
Netflix

It used to be that the institution of marriage was held in such high esteem that all parties worked in tandem to ensure the continuity of this august partnership. This union is viewed as a necessary worldly duty and a mandatory duty for the continuation of species.
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In a family unit, in daily day to day living, frictions are bound to arise. The schism between fitting to fulfilling personal agendas and familial needs often clashes head-on. When the shove comes to the push, family requirements take precedence. People had no qualms putting aside private desires for collective upliftment.

Somewhere along the way, things changed. At the dawn of the 20th century, the century of self saw people taking more interest in personal development. The idea of giving life and soul to a community or clan did not fly. It became self-interest above the rest. We, a collective noun, became I, me and myself.

This miniseries piqued my interest so much. A sarcastic individual who has a caustic comment on everything that happens around him reminds me so much of myself. Quite often, this trait of his lands him in trouble. The protagonist, Arya Iyer, is a prolific writer, second on the bestseller list, is quite opinionated and has no qualms about airing his two-cents worth. In his eyes, modern society is self-centred and narcissistic. No matter what they say about inner beauty and external appearance being skin-deep, they are quick to pose to get that perfect angle of their best look. Herd mentality is deeply engrained, and a preset response is expected.

Despite his displeasure, Arya has to tolerate all these quirks about society as he lives on their goodwill. They have to like his books. It might be a paradox as they are the very observations that he is trying to poke fun at. 

The modern upper-middle class is a haughty, demanding lot that feels entitled and has no reservations about expressing what they think. They do not give a damn how the affected party would feel as it is well within their rights to articulate. At the same time, put in the same situation, they flip. They hyperventilate, scoff, quiver, feel tight-chested and cry invasion of personal space. It seems that everything in the modern world is defined.

It is a riot to watch Arya and his antics as he goes through a separation from his spouse of 10-over years. They, however, want to keep it hush until their daughter reaches high school. In the meantime, living in a gated community with the fellow middle-class western-educated crowd in a twitter-dominated world is no fun. Infiltrating into media with equally quirky members is no walk in the park. It is so easy to find love of the passionate kind in an open society. Is it the generation gap or just that Arya and his similar-minded friends are just a notch above the rest?

Reviews on this miniseries found online are mixed. They are either all too condemning or singing praises of it. This is to be expected. After all, writers, journalists and much of the English-consuming audience are the target group of the screenwriter's ridicule. It is deemed crass humour to mock sexual orientation, gender identity, body shapes and place the female gender as the butt of jokes. It is insensitive, it seems, to ridicule 'noble' deeds like switching all electrical devices for an hour on Earth Day but leaving the air-conditioning off for the rest of the year! On top of that, there are cancel culture and woke generation that one has to deal with! 4.5/5.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Ancient Photos Reveal How KL Used To Look Like 50 Years Ago!

http://says.com/my/lifestyle/old-photos-of-kl

Published by Nandini Balakrishnan — 26 Oct 2016, 05:23 PM

Kuala Lumpur, before the emergence of fancy skyscrapers and high-traffic streets!

• #lifestyle
 
• #rsmurthi
 
• #oldphotos
 
• #kualalumpur

• Cover image via R.S Murthi

Have you ever wondered how Kuala Lumpur used to look like about half a century ago?

These ancient photos compiled by one R.S Murthi will take you back in time to the glorious past of Kuala Lumpur:

• • • Image via Flickr/ Peter Nguyen
  • A couple of weeks ago, we featured a set of old photos of Penang and old buses in Penang, found from one R.S Murthi's site.
    
    Knowing that we Malaysians love stepping back in time to talk about the "good old days", we decided to feature these photos of Kuala Lumpur dating back to the early and mid 20th century.
    
    Murthi found the photos from various sources online and mentioned that most of the images are scans of old postcards with photos licensed from European and Asian amatuer and professional photographers. Most of the images have been "cleaned up" and posterised by Murthi.
    
    The photos have been credited to the site that we found them from, R.S Murthi, as the names of the photographers could not be found. It would be great if you could drop us a comment should you happen to know the names of any of the photographers.

     says.com

• 1. Gombak Bridge and Town Hall c. 1908

  • • Image via R.S. Murthi

• 2. Selangor Club c. 1930

  • • Image via R. S. Murthi

• 3. Jalan Kinabalu, c. 1963

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 4. Kuala Lumpur Railway Station c. 1965

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• 5. Dataran Medan Pasar, Petaling Street c. 1970

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 6. Sungai Besi Airport c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 7. Bukit Aman, PDRM Headquarters c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 8. Sultan Abdul Samad Building c. 1920

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 9. University Malaya (UM) c. 1963

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 10. Ampang Railway Station c. 1920

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 11. Batu Road c. 1968

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 12. Central Market c. 1920

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 13. An aerial view of Kuala Lumpur city center c. 1920

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 14. Madras Cinema c. 1950

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 15. Merdeka Stadium c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 16. Mountbatten Road (Jalan Tun Perak) c. 1957

  • • Image via R.S Murthi
  • • Image via R.S Murthi
      Mountbatten Road, circa 1964.
  • • Image via R.S Murthi
      Mountbatten Road, circa 1964.

• 17. High Street (Jalan Tun HS Lee), Kuala Lumpur c. 1888

  • • Image via R.S Murthi
  • • Image via R.S Murthi
      Jalan Tun H. S Lee, circa 1975.

• 18. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi
  • • Image via R.S Murthi
      Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, circa 1970

• 19. An ice water vendor in Kuala Lumpur, c. 1900

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 20. Rojak seller at Merdeka Square c. 1900

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 21. Masjid Jamek area c. 1950

  • • Image via R.S Murthi
  • • Image via R.S Murthi
      Masjid Jamek, circa 1960.

• 22. Market Street (Lebuh Pasar Besar) c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 23. Market Square c. 1960

  • • Image via R.S Murthi

• 24. Federal Hotel, Jalan Bukit Bintang c. 1960

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