Oppenheimer (2023)

A few months ago, when I got to know that Oppenheimer was going to be released in 2023, I had mixed feelings. I did not want to see a movie that showed the “other side” regarding Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are others who felt the same way as me – the Japanese have delayed the movie from being screened in Japan. Yet, I remained curious, particularly since I knew about Albert Einstein and his pacifist ideas. Perhaps I could learn something from this movie too about some of the greatest physicists the world has known.

And I did learn. More from Christopher Nolan, i.e. His storytelling is compelling and engaging as ever, and I hope to read “American Prometheus”, the book on which the movie is based.

The cast is fantastic – I particularly liked Robert Downey Jr, Josh Hartnett (such a delight that he was in ‘Pearl Harbour’ too) and yes Matt Damon – all big names. Cillian Murphy worried me in parts with his thin frame. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Oppenheimer is a patient of depression and schizophrenia, and was grateful that Nolan showed this aspect in a physical sense too. I almost expected stills from J. Edgar featuring Leonardo Di Caprio to be shown in this movie. That would have been interesting to see!

“Genius is no guarantee of wisdom. How could this man who saw so much be so blind?”

The Manhattan Project is an amalgamation of what happens when Physics, Armed Forces and Politics come together. The usual call to violence – some lives lost are better than more lives being lost – is opposed by Physicists who signed the Szilard petition including David Hill (Rami Malik in a persuasive role), and they are expectedly ignored.

“You drop a bomb, and it falls on the just and the unjust. I don't wish the culmination of three centuries of physics to be a weapon of mass destruction”

It was interesting to see the portrayal of women and womanising in the movie, and how sexism is prevalent in Science and Academia. Nolan doesn’t demonise the mistress nor places the wife on a particularly high pedestal – something that other moviemakers mirroring societal norms tend to do.

“Well, a fool or an adolescent presumes to know someone else's relationship, and you're neither, Lloyd.”

In 2023, Oppenheimer is the movie I have liked the most. I was happy to see Picasso’s painting ‘Woman sitting with crossed arms’ appear in the movie. I wonder what the world would have been like if a majority group of women Physicists had worked on the Manhattan Project.

I hope my father can watch it sometime - Physics always reminds me of him. If any of you like Science and politics come together, don’t miss it! 

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

As always, I was eager to watch Tom Cruise in the latest Mission: Impossible movie, particularly after seeing videos where he rides a motorcycle off a cliff and skydives. My jaw dropped while watching them.

When the movie released on July 12 and I couldn’t go to watch it in the same week, I thought my chance was gone. Over 3 weeks later, I achieved my personal mission impossible and went to the theatre – it turned out to be a great experience at Insignia.

 
As Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) wryly explains, IMF is not the International Monetary Fund but the Impossible Missions Force, and it takes on tasks that are classified as impossible by legitimate intelligence forces. This time, I found more than a touch of humour in the movie – the theatre burst into laughter at the scene when the 1957 yellow Fiat 500 appeared.

The plot is the usual – bad people have access to destructive power, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team take fascinating, improbable steps and prevent the destruction from being unleased. Each time, there is hope that Ethan will survive the mission and he does so. Unfortunately, the heroines are mostly not so lucky. I was genuinely disappointed to see Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) being eliminated.

I loved the scene where Ethan Hunt’s old id card is displayed. I am glad he has taken to aging well and we have authentic cinematic moments like this one. I also liked the implausible scene where he tells Grace (Hayley Atwell) that he will hold her life as more important than his own.

Ethan Hunt: [to Grace] I swear your life will always matter more to me than my own.
Grace: You don't even know me.
Ethan Hunt: What difference does *that* make?

Post this series, I am waiting to see how Tom Cruise guides the rest of his career. I hope he gets back to doing movies like ‘Rainman’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’. And yes, I hope he gets an Oscar one day!

Air (2023)

Last weekend, I wanted to watch one of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ or ‘Before Midnight’, and found that while they were both available on OTTs, they weren’t available in India. I was very disappointed, but started going through the list of movies on Prime, and landed on ‘Air’.

‘Air’s cast intrigued me, and as I am a fan of Matt Damon, I decided to watch the movie without looking it up on Wikipedia first. To my utter surprise, I had landed on a sports drama – I love watching the ones made by Hollywood – and I carried on.

5 years ago, I had read ‘Shoe Dog’ and got to know a little bit more about Nike and Phil Knight. ‘Air’ presented another opportunity – I got to see how the marketing deal had been struck with a young Michael Jordon led by baseball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon), who had identified his greatness very early on. It was fascinating to see how Matt Damon captured the body language of an earnest middle-aged man in reasonably poor physical shape. However, I liked Viola Davis the best in the movie – she plays Deloris Jordan, Michael’s mother.

There are many lines that made me smile, and I loved this one.

“Everyone at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up - except for you. You're gonna be remembered forever, because some things are eternal. You're Michael Jordan, and your story is gonna make us want to fly.”

After watching the movie, I read a bit more about Air Jordan, Michael Jordan, and his family. His father was shot dead in 1993 and Michael decided to retire from the NBA for the first time. His sister has indicated that she was sexually abused by their father, and I might read ‘In My Family’s Shadow’ written by her.

Similar to Jordan, there was expectation that Roger Federer would sign a lifetime deal with Nike, and that didn’t go through in 2018. I’ll not forget the “Advantage, Nadal” campaign in 2022 with Nike hailing him as the GOAT.

As an aside, Nike has been in the news for sexual harassment lawsuits, and I am waiting to see how it all ends. For now, watch ‘Air’.

Contagion (2011)

This movie is my third watch on Amazon Prime overall, and comes soon after I watched Parasite. Under ordinary circumstances, I ought to have watched the movie much earlier – it has a starcast I love – Matt Damon and Kate Winslet both star in it. I don’t know if this movie was released in India or how it fared at the box-office, but it is surreal to watch how it creates a world that’s affected by a flu-like pandemic that originates in Asia. It also creates the world of a journalist (Jude Law) who blogs about the truth of the pandemic much to the discomfort of the establishment.

The movie left me gripped for most part, especially the scenes that show ordinary people violating the social distancing norm put in place, the requirement of masks and other medical kits, and the spread in Asia. If this isn’t being ahead of the curve, I don’t know what is. It explains what R naught is (the basic reproduction number) and how a pandemic develops based on differing R naught. It shows an autopsy in more detail – I was not prepared to watch Gwyneth Paltrow’s brain getting dissected.

There are many dialogues that struck as applicable for today’s Covid-19 scenario and I am mentioning three of them here. I feel like validating some of these numbers and comparing myself to the average person metrics, but don't quite know dependable resources to do the same.

“But right now, our best defense has been social distancing. No hand-shaking, staying home when you're sick washing your hands frequently.”

“How fast it multiplies depends on a variety of factors. The incubation period, how long a person is contagious. Sometimes people can be contagious without even having symptoms.”

"The average person touches their face 2- or 3000 times a day. Three to five times every waking minute. In between, we're touching doorknobs water fountains, elevator buttons and each other. Those things become fomites."

Watch the trailer here to get a glimpse of what the movie is all about. If you are the sort who gets anxious after receiving more information about a disease, I’d recommend not watching this movie right now.

Blood Diamond (2006)

Whenever mentions of unrequited love or finding husbands are made, I think of the maturity shown by these two characters who fall in love, but realise they can't be together.

Jennifer Connelly's character remains my benchmark for strong, mature women. Watch the scene where she bids goodbye.

Joker (2019)

11 years ago, when I watched the Dark Knight, I didn’t imagine that Christian Bale would one day stop playing Batman, and Joaquin Phoenix would eventually play Joker. Watching Joker come alive in 2019 made me think of how well the story has been written – it turns out that the director of the movie (Todd Phillips) is one of the writers. He has the Hangover series and Due Date among his earlier writing credits.

There is much to be said about the violence shown in the movie, the method acting of Phoenix that has prompted him to dangerously drop weight, the joy of watching Robert de Niro, and the storyline connecting Joker and Bruce Wayne. However, there is something else that struck me way more.

I expect to see more articles cover how mental illness has been portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix - for good and bad reasons. For instance, I would have liked to see his descent into violence portrayed differently given how stigmatized mental illness is and how popular media readily associates the mentally ill as perpetrators of violence. The movie links his violent streak with the absence of medication, and I would love to see how this can be challenged in real-life as tapering of medication is reality for many recovering patients.

Three other things struck me as remarkable.

• His relationship with his original counsellor - he is candid and shares how he feels, how he takes his medication and enquires about dosages, and how she offers the right combination of challenging him and staying supportive as she works with him
• What he writes in his journal regarding mental illness - "The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't"
• How the underprivileged don't have ready access to mental health care, and how it can suddenly be withdrawn due to lack of funding - so even if someone is willing to take help and stay the course, it isn't possible to do so

The movie is conflicting more than once, and that perhaps is the mark of a great movie as it prompts one to assess one’s own views on what it means to be underprivileged and ill. What it means to go through childhood trauma and lose one's livelihood as an adult. What it means to get attracted to the people one does, given everything.

Recommended watch.

The Big Bounce (2004)

Not every heist movie is entertaining or a hit, but there are some lines that stay for unexpected reasons.

Like Owen Wilson mouthing them, and my being able to watch a 9 p.m. movie for the most part.

From 'The Big Bounce'. Tennis lovers might spot the Tommy Haas link to the movie!

"Yeah, we're friends. But, you know, it's the type of friendship where if you're in trouble, I probably won't be there for you. Just like I wouldn't expect you to be there for me. It's a more honest friendship. It's not like this phony thing. It's a genuine friendship. I can't trust you. You can't trust me. I'm not gonna take a bullet for you. I'm not gonna jump on a grenade for you. I'm gonna..."

In earlier circumstances, I would have posted this on Facebook and now I am not going to do so. There's a certain freedom in being able to write in spaces that don't offer as much engagement.

Last Vegas (2013)

I wouldn’t call this a fantastic watch, but it distracted me sufficiently when I watched it 5 years ago. The starcast is powerful, even if rumours around Morgan Freeman in the recent past have left me mostly sad and a little angry. Remember the scene in this movie when he is trying to escape from his house? That’s a work of art.

There is also another scene I recollect. Kevin Kline’s Sam character is being driven to the airport by his wife Miriam - a moment of astonishment for me – and she encourages him to have fun at his friend’s bachelor party. She basically encourages him to cheat, and when I now think about it, I wonder how her character is as confident about their marriage not unraveling or if it is fiction that makes misplaced confidence work. It struck me that if there had been a role reversal – the husband driving the wife and encouraging her to have fun/ cheat – I would have been uncomfortable then too. Why be as self-sacrificing? If they had been serial monogamists, this is perhaps the right time to leave!

Sam mouths a lovely line, “The thing is... It's crazy, but whenever something spectacular happens to me, the first thing I want to do is tell my wife about it. And, after 40 years of marriage, if I can't tell her about something wonderful that happened to me, it sort of stops being wonderful.”

This must be true for so many married couples, and it is a beautiful moment.

The movie scores because it targets a different age group – senior citizens – and shows their perspective. Wish more movies did this. I also thought about who the writer is – there are moments that strike as outright dysfunctional – and then got to know that he is the same writer who wrote the script for Crazy, Stupid, Love. Something about cheating seems to appeal as far as he goes, and he doesn’t like marriages breaking down because of it.

The Italian Job (2003)

Despite multiple attempts to watching this movie, I haven't managed to watch more than 15 minutes at a stretch. The movie has a stellar cast, and I was glad to have caught this dialogue this time.

"I trust everyone. It's the devil inside them I don't trust."

Watchers, what do you think of this movie?

If I go by my experience, the first step in not trusting the devil equivalent is to acknowledge the presence of the devil. The trust process would be an entirely different ballgame then. As for the devil inside of us, do we wait for someone else to spot and acknowledge it? Or are we self-aware enough to spot its presence and then do something about it?

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

I have not read much of Tintin, and didn't go to watch the movie directed by Steven Spielberg when it released over five years ago. Last night, while surfing channels, we landed on this movie and watched it for a bit.

Despite the circumstances one finds oneself in, movie lines can be motivating.

Captain Haddock: I thought you were an optimist.
Tintin: Well, you were wrong, weren't you? I'm a realist.
Captain Haddock: That's just another name for a quitter.
Tintin: You can call me what you like. Don't you get it? We failed.
Captain Haddock: "Failed", there are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse! Don't you ever say it of yourself. You send the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Do you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you.

I have read elsewhere that people pick up the vibes we send, and yet I have often been able to place the "real" vibe underneath. I expect this to be the case with other people too.

Edited to add: I put this up on facebook, and got to know that the character of Captain Haddock is portrayed differently in the books. The wiki entry informs me that he grew to be a courageous character.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

When I first watched a scene from this movie, I thought it would be on the lines of Slumdog Millionaire and switched channels soon enough. The name of the movie continued to intrigue me, and I checked the ratings. I was shocked to see the high ratings, and when I landed on the movie again (on a different day), I decided to watch it from then on.

I enjoyed the movie, and while I found the way Jean and Douglas end their marriage unrealistic, there were several positives. I am now drawn to movies with older characters, and this one had plenty of them. The gay characters weren’t caricatures or stereotypes, the British accents were nicely done and the humour was welcome, the Indians looked Indian and behaved like Indians (even if they spoke better English than usual), and the settings looked realistic. The characters were gripping – their idiosyncrasies and fears were well explored.



This line mouthed by Sonny (Dev Patel) – “Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end.” reminded me of 'Om Shanti Om'.

My favourite line is this – “All we know about the future is that it will be different. But, perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So, we must celebrate the changes.”

I am waiting for the sequel that’s due for release in 2015. Richard Gere is expected to join the cast.

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

I have watched this movie more than once, and each time, I have learnt something new. When I watched it for the first time, I paid attention to the superb cast and the strong female characters. The second time, I paid attention to the mentions of Yale Law School, “New York kike” and relationship upheavals including divorces that took place post the attack on Pearl Harbour.

The third time, I paid attention to the paintings and the painters. The title of the movie is obviously inspired by Mona Lisa. Vincent van Gogh and his sunflowers were familiar, and I got to know about Jackson Pollock’s work. When the students start grumbling at their first exposure to Pollock’s work, this is what Julia Roberts’ character Katherine Watson tells them -

"Do me a favour. Do yourselves a favour. Stop talking and look. You're not required to write a paper. You're not even required to like it. You are required - to consider it. That's your only assignment today. When you're done, you may leave."

Marcia Gay Harden, who stars in this movie, has also acted in the movie “Pollock” made on the painter.

I love the usage of this song in the movie.

Great Expectations (1998)

Recently, I got a chance to watch this movie on Romedy Now. I haven’t read the book, and I remember stills from this movie – it was released in 1998, and it reminded me of days when I was mad after Titanic and its stars. I still had about twenty minutes to go before the movie ended, and I couldn’t stay up. Gwyneth Paltrow’s acting came across as unbelievably cold, and I am not sure whether this was a deliberate choice.

I recommend the movie – there are enough moments that left me surprised and glued (for example, the introduction of Ms. Dinsmoor played by Anne Bancroft), the music is really good, the usage of voiceover is interesting and there are beautiful lines like this one.

“I'm not going to tell the story the way it happened. I'm going to tell it the way I remember it.”

Finn (Ethan Hawke) is the narrator of this story. I wonder what it would be like to hear the same story from Lustig (Rober De Niro).

Watch the trailer.

A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)

If you don’t mind watching romcoms on a Saturday morning, this sappy movie can be watched atleast in parts. The movie hasn't got good reviews, so if you are particular about them please give the movie a miss.

It is nice to see the lead character Marley (played by Kate Hudson) have a genuine and intelligent sense of humour - she laughs easily, she can make others laugh and she has an excellent approach towards life. For a variety of reasons, women prefer to laugh at what men have to say rather than make them laugh.

The relationship between Marley and her mother and the daughter is done well. When Marley complains to her friend and colleague Lucy about how her mother drives her crazy, Lucy tells her – “Duh. That’s what mothers do.”

Towards the end of the movie, there’s a scene where Marley’s mother is driving her back home and has just smiled and told her, "That's what daughters do." in response to something Marley said.

Marley: "Will you help me plan my funeral?"
Marley's mom: "Sure."
Marley: "'Cause I don't want it to be some somber affair. I want it to be a celebration. I want to put the F U N back in funeral."

I question the generalization – all mothers and daughters drive each other crazy? What if one had role descriptions for personal situations (e.g. JD for mother in this household) and people complied / didn’t comply? Life would be more specific, and easier in many respects.

Watch the trailer here.

Fight Club (1999)

This is a violent film, and has some fine performances from the lead actors. There are quotes that are thought-provoking, and outright funny. Brad Pitt plays Tyler Durden, Edward Norton plays the unnamed narrator and Helena Bonham Carter plays Marla Singer.

Tyler Durden: "Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?"
This is really the reason why I hate seats other than aisle seats while flying.

Tyler Durden: "It’s only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."
My interpretation of this quote will take some time in getting expressed.

Tyler Durden: "Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else."
This line almost made me cry. It is so deprecating of the human race that it hurts. How does one respond to such cynicism and not get damaged in the process?

Runaway Bride (1999)

The movie is about Julia Roberts' character Maggie Carpenter and Richard Gere's character Eisenhower Graham, 'Ike'. While there are several mushy moments, one of the scenes stayed back with me.

This is a scene with Ike and his ex-wife Ellie Graham played by Rita Wilson.

Ike: "Ellie, what went wrong? With us. With the two of us, I mean. I know it's been a long time. Do you remember?"

Ellie: "Yeah. Do I remember? Of course I do."

Ike: "Is that what -- Did I do the same -- Is that what happened? Did I just... not see you?"

Ellie: "No. No, you didn't."

Ike: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Ellie."

Ellie: "I'm sorry too, Ike."

It helps that Ellie has remarried, is Ike's publisher and her spouse Fisher is a relaxed man. He does quip though, "Confucius say, man who leave wife alone with ex-husband may leave altogether."

Chupke Chupke (1975)

My family has watched a few movies more than once, and Chupke Chupke ranks very high in this list. In the list of repeat watches, I mean. This PG Wodehouse style situational comedy was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who has a long list of comedy movies to his credit.

The principal character is played by Dharmendra. He plays Parimal Tripathi, a professor of Botany from Allahabad. His best friend and colleague is Sukumar Sinha, a professor of English literature played by Amitabh Bachchan. Parimal’s girlfriend (and later wife) Sulekha Chaturvedi is played by the dimpled beauty Sharmila Tagore. Sukumar Sinha falls in love with Parimal’s friend P K Srivastava’s sister-in-law Vasudha. P K Srivastava is played by Asrani, and Vasudha is played by Jaya Bachchan.

Enter the real hero of the movie, Raghavendra played by Om Prakash. Raghavendra is Sulekha’s brother-in-law. Sulekha holds her dear jijaji in such high esteem that it gives Parimal an inferiority complex, and he is determined to rise in his wife’s esteem. Sulekha’s brother Haripat (played by David) helps him by agreeing to his plan.

The movie is about how Parimal Tripathi engages with Raghavendra in Mumbai by pretending to be an Allahabadi driver Pyaare Mohan who speaks chaste Hindi. He is sent by Haripat on Raghavendra’s insistence on the quality of his driver’s language.

The exchanges between Pyaare Mohan and Raghavendra are meant for laughter of the lol and roflmao kind, and I am unable to recreate their magic here. 

Raghavendra: “Wahaan khade khade kya kar rahe ho?”

Pyaare Mohan: “Khada khada kuch nahin kar raha hoon saheb. Bas aake aake khada hua hoon.”

Raghavendra: “Pyaare Mohan, tum paagal ho paagal!”

Pyaare Mohan: “Ab to main bilkul pagaal nahin hoon saheb.”

Watch the movie. If we could resolve our daily fights and lead life with such humour thrown in, life would acquire a whole new meaning. Also, if we are able to admit to our hero-worships, fears and insecurities the way Parimal and Sulekha do with each other, marriage can be beautiful. 

Due Date (2010)

Today, when I was watching the movie “Due Date”, there was this conversation that left me in splits.

Peter Highman: I'm sorry we drank your father.
Ethan Tremblay: That's okay.
Peter Highman: Are you all right? Are you sure?
Ethan Tremblay: Yeah, there's plenty of him still in here. Darryl, he made three cups of coffee, I think there's about eight cups of my dad left in here.
Peter Highman: Great.
Ethan Tremblay: At least he tasted good.
Peter Highman: Not bad. Yeah, strong. It was uh...full flavored, robust blend.
Ethan Tremblay: He really enjoyed coffee and in the end he was enjoyed as coffee. Circle of life.
Peter Highman: Lion King. All that.

The song used is also striking. Do click and hear it.

Peter Highman: Ethan, there's somethin' I've been wantin' to tell you. I feel pretty awful about, kinda wanna get it off my chest. I uh...I ditched you at the rest stop in Louisiana.
Ethan Tremblay: What?
Peter Highman: I had no intention of comin' back. So wrong.
Ethan Tremblay: Why would you do that?
Peter Highman: Because I'm a pig, I'm an asshole. I don't know, I'm working on it.
Ethan Tremblay: Well, you know what? You came back with donuts, and I think that says more about you than leaving does.

Finally, watch the reference to one of my favourite TV shows.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

I had watched “Luck by Chance” over two years after its release and I was keen on not missing Zoya Akhtar’s second movie. One look at the trailer and I knew that I’d definitely watch this movie in the theatre.

One weekend, the sibling and I didn’t get tickets and so we watched "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2". I recommend the movie for Potter fans – the 3D movie is made very well. The next day, the sibling went and watched ZNMD with her friends. She asked me to come along, and I declined her offer.

She smiled and let it be.

As the week progressed, she reminded me that I am yet to watch the movie, and got my ticket online. I remind her for work that needs to get done, and she reminds me of my hobbies. She was feeling really bad that I was going on my own, despite knowing that I enjoy watching movies on my own as well.

I suspect it is because she wanted to watch the movie again.

It wasn’t raining when I left, and I collected the ticket without much ado. Among the families and couples, I noticed a lady who looked like a fellow movie buff. I stepped away to buy something to eat and on my return, she smiled at me. Like me, she was on her own. She sat through the entire movie – people had started walking away when the credits were rolling and the last song was playing. Did they see what Kabir (Abhay Deol) did?

The movie is about three friends – Kabir (as mentioned above -Abhay Deol), Imraan (Farhan Akthar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan). I liked the non-preachy tone of the movie. The colours are vibrant, the men are interesting and the story is well-told. Given my previous experience of watching Zoya’s work, I was prepared for a detailed and slow narrative. This movie is better paced.

The movie has four beautiful poems recited by Farhan as voiceovers. I am quoting one of them, the one that is meant for his character.

Jab jab dard ka baadal chaya
Jab ghum ka saya lehraya
Jab aansoo palkon tak aya
Jab yeh tanha dil ghabraya
Humne dil ko yeh samjhaya
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai
Duniya mein yunhi hota hai
Yeh jo gehre sannate hain
Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain
Thoda ghum hai sabka qissa
Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa
Aankh teri bekaar hi nam hai
Har pal ek naya mausam hai
Kyun tu aise pal khota hai
Dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai

Imraan would be pleased to know that Hermes is present in India. His love for bagwati is touching.

The sibling liked Farhan and Katrina. Both of us are fans of Hrithik and while he didn’t surprise me the way he did in “Luck by Chance”, his performance as Arjun is competent. I liked the way his character reacted to the experience of deep sea diving - tears gently rolled down his eyes. The absence of melodrama was soothing. On the other hand, his exuberance at the sky diving experience and the tongue-in-cheek reference to “Top Gun” were both welcome.

I loved Abhay Deol’s Kabir. He has been given the role that holds the movie and the friendship between the three men together. In real life, he comes from a family that is known for its macho men. He has two things evidently in common with his family – he is good looking, and he can’t dance for nuts.

There is a gem of a scene when the character called Salman tells Kabir, “Kya aap itni sharafat se hamesha pesh aate hain?” I find Kabir’s attitude infectious. He thinks of people other than himself, is secure and has a relaxed attitude to life. He seems to have an interest in psychology and knows how to say the right thing at the right time. One can say that his life has been easier (Kabir has one uncomfortable truth to deal with and Arjun has several of them), but I’d say that even if he faced those situations, his attitude would have made him deal with them differently.

Another nice scene is how he resolves the long-standing fight between Imraan and Arjun. He doesn’t hesitate to hit the nail on the head. I think it came with the clarity associated with wanting to enjoy his bachelor trip with his close friends. Having fun can be more rewarding than moping around?

Kabir also faces a realistic challenge towards the end of the movie. Watch the movie to see what it is. For now, I am going to leave you with this.

The Social Network (2010)

“The Social Network” is about how Facebook was conceived as an exclusive club first, how the idea grew into something much bigger and continued to rate high on the coolness quotient, how Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) became the youngest billionaire in the world, how he cheated on his best friend Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield, who has also acted in the interesting "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"), and how he has dealt with lawsuits.

At Harvard in 2003, a boy of above-average intelligence thinks what he does is the best thing in the world – there is little respect shown to his girlfriend’s intelligence or subject choice. After getting rejected by her, he decides to write an algorithm that compares the photos of girls in his college and gets those who know them to rate the photos. He blogs when he is drunk and compares women to farm animals. He meets two rich twins and their business partner after the photo-comparison application becomes hugely popular. He doesn’t hesitate in asking his rich Brazil-born best friend to sponsor his idea and later doesn’t oppose diluting the best friend’s stake to 0.03% from 34%. He falls for the vision shown by Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) and agrees when he says,"Drop the 'The.' Just 'Facebook.' It's cleaner”. He knows what it is like when things don't go in accordance to his wishes. He looks disinterested while he is processing and retaining every bit of what is being said. He feels left out of exclusive clubs. He loves Facebook.

The movie has everything going for it – perfect casting all across, a tight storyline, dialogues that are intelligent and raise uncomfortable questions that linger, and characters who are of similar age as me. For the record, I really enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Mark. He confirmed one thing to me – I can deal with the arrogance of investment bankers better than the arrogance of technology geeks.

The movie also reminded me of the issues I had with facebook initially – the trivialization of relationships and ease of rejection, the ability to establish independent personas – one in the real world and one (or more) in the world of facebook, the disappearing boundaries between personal and professional worlds, the manifestation of negative behaviour like stalking and lurking.

Facebook is now valued at $65 billion. While watching the movie, I wondered what Mark felt about having an Oscar-winning movie made on his life so early on. He is 26 years old and is still growing the company. He has only dated Priscilla Chan – the movie paints a different picture.

The sibling had watched the movie soon after it was released and had excitedly told me to watch out for the twin brothers in the movie. I watched the movie yesterday and told her that it was the same actor who played the role of the Winklevoss twins. His name is Armie Hammer. You should read about how he played both roles here – there is a model who stood-in for some of the scenes, and then his face was digitally replaced with that of Armie.

Technology makes the impossible possible?!

I am going to leave you with two thoughts. The first one - you might want to read this review. The second one -

Marylin Delpy: What are you doing?
Mark Zuckerberg: Checking in to see how it's going in Bosnia.
Marylin Delpy: Bosnia. They don't have roads, but they have Facebook