A liking for the old..

I have watched 4 films these past weeks (read since my last update) and all of them made between 1930 to 1960.

Singin in the Rain: At last I saw the movie that made me curious from the time Vadivel sang the song…….
The movie is awesome. I will recommend it for solid entertainment.
This is movie as at least one seen that I have watched in recent movies and thought they were beautiful. Its like a creative directors dictionary. Watch it and you will know it.

The Heiress: A powerful adult drama, of a plain, shy good hearted heiress losing becoming a heard hearted woman due to the treatment meted out by the males in her life. (I have to say something here. I never use these terms males and females in general conversation apart from scientific ones, for as taught by our school father it is sort of derogatory, but today I have it mentioned in the blogs so because after watching the film I cant call them men).
Such moving acting by Olivia de Havilland, she sure deserves her Oscar.

A Street car named Desire: One of the best movies I have ever watched, if Marlon Brando’s handsome and animalistic character makes you detest. The schizophrenic and fading Blanche DuBois played by Vivien Leigh leaves you dumbstruck with a performance so real that I kept remembering the character very long after seeing the film. A film with such sincerity and a story so beautifully told and delicately handled is so rare to find.

Gone with the wind: A classic in every sense… You can never forget Vivien’s Scarlett. A rare film were a daring woman is portrayed as a heroine and not as a vamp.

“Paradise” for the escapist.

When browsing for new books this week, I came upon books by Judith McNaught.
This lady sure knows how to write a thorough romantic book, pure escapist fare. No exaggerations and that’s true. The book I read was titled “Paradise”. The story is about Meredith who grows up wanting to be able to run her family business and who accidentally marries the working class Matt and how they are separated and joined at last to be in Paradise. It’s not boring at all. Great time pass.

Tara Road - Good in parts.

This is a kind of book that you can read with a cup of tea on a boring day.
While i was reading the first few chapters i thought the book was regular fare and after that i felt it was going to be depressing but surprisingly when i finished the book none of the feelings lingered. It doesn't leave you with much impact , well nothing really and i dont like that in a book.

The book is by Maeve Binchy. And is mostly about Ria Lynch who meets, falls in love, marries in hurry, becomes mom in succession, gets heart-broken, falls out of love and rediscovers herself in that order.
Marilyn a women with disintegrating marriage after the accidental death of her son, who lives in America and Ria , who is in Ireland exchange homes and this brings the happy ending.

I know tear jerker soap opera stuff. But while reading it seems OK. Mostly because of Binchy's writing , she doesnt comment too much on the characters, they are just characters living in the book.

I heard there was a movie in the same name. Havent seen yet. Anyway i dont think the movie will be good.

I have seen 'The Holiday' though. when i read the book it was kinda i was watching the movie in reverse situation sometimes, so many similarities. You know Kate Winslet from England Cameron Diaz from America (A house with a pool ... GOD!).
And Cameron falling for the brother of Kate and Ria falling for the brother of Greg (Marilyn's husband) and Kate ending up with Jack Blacks character ( A friend of Cameron) like Marilyn ending up with Colm (Ria's friend AWW..)

So this was the bad book i mentioned about in my previous blog, although i wouldnt say its bad its FINE, just fine.

This month so far..

I spent most of this month watching movies. You know India played real bad in all their T20 matches and it was so depressing to watch and surprisingly all my predictions about India turned true to my dismay :(.

I am watching all romantic movies coz i am building a collection., here's the list.

1. Giant (Very Good)
2. A walk in the clouds (Okay)
3. Green Card (Not bad)
4. Funny face (Audrey Hepburn - Very Very good)
5. The wedding date (Nice)
6. A walk to remember (Sob story)
7. Sleeping beauty (Cartoon - Fun)
8. The princess bride (Good)
and the list is growing..

And i read a really bad book so iam not mentioning it here.......

The Goonies - The fun film

Steven Spielberg – he is a one with a child’s heart. Though E.T is my all time fav movie right behind the ‘The Lion King’ (English Films). The Goonies has become the 3rd in the list. Well, this movie was probably made before I was even born, but is soooooooo fun. Absolute fun and adventure!!!! It made me want to watch more adventure movies and ended up watching most in that genre (Only the Indiana Jones kinda stuff was ok others were pretty bad L) , but nothing matched the pure fun the movie gave.

Why have they stopped making movies like these? We will never know.

Tinker Bell – A brilliant story made into a brilliant film!! (A Review)

My friends and family often make fun of me for watching the animation or films they call children’s films. But I am glad I am that I did not heed to their comments. Films like Tinker Bell are gems… We all would have read or would have been read to , the story of the little fairy born with the tinker talent, but one who’s heart is drawn to the greenery of the opposite bank (literally) . This story of a girl who thinks she could learn and acquire the talent of other fairies so that she could visit the other side of the river is so common. What with all of us wanting an engineering degree so that we could fly overseas.

Watching Tinker Bell brought all these thoughts and more flooding, left me saddened and at the same time exuberant; the main reason for that, being the animation. The beauty and colorful lives of the fairies was brought out wonderfully.

This is one movie for the family !!! a real treat.

Top melodies of Ilayaraja

Ilayaraja is my favorite musician and unarguably the greatest musician tamil cinema has ever or will ever have. Its is never easy to list or grade his songs for each one is different. I have tried to list some his unforgettable melodies.

1. Nillavae Vaa

Movie : Mouna Ragam

Singer : SPB

This song is an unforgettable one by the unforgettable duo S.P.B and Ilayaraja. You can hear this song forever and never get tired. And Mohan's acting in the song is so good, its his face that will be always remembered with the song. The sadness in the tune never really makes you to cry but leaves you with hope, just like the character in the film who is hopeful that he will win his wife's love.

2. Ithu oru pon malai pozhuthu, Poongathave Thal Thirayai

Movie: Nizhalgal

Singer: SPB

A gem of a song by S.P.B, the music is so refreshing and the lyric by Vairamuthu is like a perfect colored pearl. It’s an evergreen song, which always lifts my spirits. The visuals are wonderful too. All the songs in this film are beautiful, who can forget the harmony of the song “Poongathave Thal Thirayai”, especially the opening of the song or the white angels dancing in beach for the enjoyable “Madai Thiranthu”.


3. Thenpandi Seemaiyilae

Movie : Nayagan.

Singer : Ilayaraja

Although there are two renditions in the film, the one by Ilayaraja is soul stirring, whats more to say?

4. Chinna Thai Aval

Movie: Thalapathi

Singer : Janaki

The song leaves u moist eyed and wondering, the songs in this film are all different and very popular. I like the “Yamunai Attrile” one too ( But the singer's pronunciation of tamil is terrible).
5. Malaiyil yaaro Manadhodu pessa

Movie: Chathriyan

Singer: Swarna Latha

This song is too good…………..and the voice of Swarnalatha is pure gold.

Every song of Ilayaraja is special and I will not be able to stop myself if I keep on commenting like this so will hereafter only mention them.

6. Karpoora Bommai Ondu
7. En eniya pon nilave
8. Poonthalir Adda
9. Kathalin Deepan Ondru
10. Kathal Oviyam

The Waiting Period

"The Waiting Period" book is authored by Eugenie Price, and is a romance (rather a staid one) in the times before the American civil war period. The book is not very compelling, but offers valuable insights into the thinking of the women of that era. And offers the other side of the story (The story of the southeners). One thing i like the most in the book is the friendship between the lead character and the her maid.

Its a good read.

The Shell Seekers

The last book I read was called "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher’s. I picked the book from a junk store for thirty rupees. I had read a story of Pilcher earlier and found it refreshing; hence I bought this book even when the back cover synopsis didn’t offer anything exiting. (Read happy endings, Romantic, Thrilling...). Well, the book was a beautiful surprise! I didn’t get that feeling until I was introduced to some three characters in the book. Then it became so overwhelmingly life like. There are few books that present humans as humans, they either portray a character as good, bad or grey but never show them in their skin. This book does that. All the characters are so real.  The book revolves around "The Shell Seekers" ,a painting which has suddenly become very valuable and its owner - the daughter of the painter himself. It’s a common story of how the children conspire to get their mother's inheritance, but told from heart.  The common perception of the children, that there parents should only take care of their wellbeing, should provide her possessions only to them is brought out with the portrayal of the Nancy and Noel. They being the eldest and youngest children of Penelope Keeling desperately want their mother’s money for various reasons. Nancy's character is particularly real, a women who was once pretty and never satisfied. Noel’s character is that of an opportunist, a kind who spend more time thinking how to use other’s resources than thinking of earning them. Penelope's second child Olivia's character is fairly normal, the independent career woman. However, she is too independent and has no two way about it. She dabbles in a relationship (with Cosmo) and at that point you wonder she will become another of those “career woman who gave all for real love” type. But she is too practical minded for that to happen. She is willing to help the daughter of a man she loved, but not at the price of her privacy and independence.Initially, I thought of Penelope's character as boring and normal and I was wrong. She has a flashback dating to World War II (And the predictable affair too...) but what makes the character admirable is her outlook. She takes practical decisions, but her thinking is advanced. Her decision to go back to her roots, her decision to help Antonia and Danus are all are all admirable and makes her strong. I was not help but feel that she was the almost ideal mother, a kind who gives only so much to her children, and lets them acquire the rest (both in character and wealth). She is unhappy the way her children turn out, but not to the extent of chiding them for it, she in a way accepts them as they are. She wants them to treat her as a person and treats them as individuals. She strongly reminded me of a person I have met in real life, an old woman who lived near my grandmother’s house.All in the entire book was a very very satisfying read; it gave me a feeling of serene feeling when I finished it. Even the predictable flashback with Richard was not bad. (Considering the tragedy that Richard dies in the war..)

I am blogging too.....

I am a serious reader, but not a serious writer. Thought its high time i start writing.