Posts

3 body problem - drama series

 This is probably the earliest i am posting about a series, having just watched 3 episodes. Mighty impressed with the content and presentation of "3 body problem" drama series on Netflix. The production values rivals that of Marvel and other high budget production houses. With each episode running for nearly an hour and with majority of the running space requiring Special effects, the cost of making a single episode must be as high as a full time movie!!  The interesting part about this series being, the take on aliens and future of human civilization. A bit like Star Trek, but on a more relatable level, the series talks about the SETI program and its impact on human civilization, base assumption being, upon receiving a response from the other side. The series is almost as Chinese as it is in English, for i understand, the base premise has been taken from a book written in Chinese. The concept as it is, is quite novel and the timing of the response when received from the othe

Die trying by Lee Child

 As mentioned on the first book "Killing floor" review, i was almost halfway into "Die tying", the second one in the Jack reacher series by Lee Child. It had such a curious premise that, even while reading was able to visualise scene by scene how the story was progressing. It was probably the influence of watching movies made at that time this book was written or possibly the book got inspired by the movies, either way, this is one racy thriller that streams across genres and plots like a forest river. The initial setup resembles that of Rambo - first blood, a lot to say the least. A stranger thrown into a situation and is at his wits end to not just save himself but also the mysterious lady who is kidnapped along with him. In fact, she being the target and him being caught in the cross fire makes it all the more cinematic. For almost a good 60% of the book, the captives get transported in a wagon, while the law agencies break their head over the kidnapping with the

Maamla legal hai - mini series

When Neflix launched this mini series last month, thought it would be yet another pseudo comedy series based on hindi heartland that i neither funny nor too serious. But how wrong i was got proved in the very first episode.  "Maamla legal hai", as the name suggests, is based on legal system of India and on lawyers from a fictional town Patparganj, of course set in hindi heartland. With Ravi Kishan being the sitting president  of the lawyer association, ably supported by his "chamcha" duo named as "law" and "order", with sane guidance from Munshiji, the only normal character in this otherwise wacko unit, the kind of cases and issues that crop up in their court, all of them being real life situations inspired, the 8 episode series, leaves you wanting for more. Nidhi Bisht as the unscrupulous yet vulnerable lawyer, whose sole ambition is to get a chamber of her own and how she goes about "buttering" her seniors and superiors, is a hoot. I

When in need...

This month showed the real colours and flavors of many people in my life, especially how they will respond and react in times of trouble. I had a situation in my professional front that really tested the thin fabric of time, be it my past, my present or the immediate future. There were some incidents that really shook the foundations of my daily life and was desperately looking for help, some sort of a hold-on, to navigate myself. Help came from lot of quarters and with god's grace, by this time next week, i would be much more surefooted and secure than where i am and what i am today. It may not be the time or place to vent out against those who couldn't care less about what happened and if at all they could've helped. But i am mere human and such negative thoughts are abound my mind at this moment and i couldn't quite think any less of them. There are certain situations that are hard to explain as to why they happen, but when they do happen, it makes even less sense as

THE voice will speak no more

M.K (Mun Kurippu)  When I saw the note from Thala about a guest post, it was the piravippayan scenario for this blog. With great pleasure, immense happiness and honor, hosting this heartfelt tribute from Thala for his most favorite host.  Here you go.  Whose is the most recognised voice in India ? For forty years, the answer to this question was the same. Ameen Sayani. Readers of this blog, and of course this blog’s owner, were not born when this phenomenon happened and can be forgiven for asking Ameen who ? Read on, for this is the story of India’s finest broadcaster from a bygone era. Gils might find it difficult to believe, but there was a world before OTT. Forget OTT, there was a world before YouTube. Forget YouTube, there was a world before Cable TV. Forget Cable TV, there was a world before TV, period. When the only entertainment option was the radio. There was, of course, only one Radio broadcaster – All India Radio. These were the days of Nehruvian socialism,  when any form of

Of troublesome teens and superpowers

I’ve began to watch “Superman and Lois” series, which is the emotional sequel to “Smallville”. Not sure if it as per comics or a fictional setup created specifically for the series, “Smallville” happens to be a town in Kansas where the friendly Kryptonian crash landed and spent his childhood, till he moved to Metropolis as a journalist in “Daily Planet”. The “Smallville” series ended with Lex Luthor becoming US president posing more headache for the caped crusader. “Superman and Lois” begins with Clark Kent losing out on his job due to layoffs and his mother’s demise causing an unplanned change in the Kent family, who relocate to Smallville from Metropolis. Superman is blessed with twin boys, both in their teens and the first season deals with a Kryptonian villain, who happens to be half-brother of Superman, crash landed in England, unlike our American superhero. Their brought ups and childhood stories couldn’t be more different. A major chunk of the entire first season deals with teen

Of insanity and other things

I saw a movie called “God’s crooked lines” few weeks ago. It was popping up on the timeline and was curious to watch it when the genre mentioned it as thriller. Typically, English dubbed movies from European languages are not my cup of tea for the level of translation and dubbing, often feels unsynch. Europeans seems to emote more or at par with Asians while the American movies are bit low on the melodrama and histrionics. Even if you don’t follow a word of their dialogues, as compared to their acting on screen to the subtitles and dubbing, it feels weird at best. Despite all this, the reviews for this movie were quite good and from the first scene, it had an eeriness about it that hooked me in.  The leading lady is brought into a mental hospital and is left at its doorstep by a guy who praises her for her brave decision. She promises him to do her best and boldly marches into the campus that looks like a castle. At the reception counter, she produces the letter issues by her psychiatr