Found: There's No Place Like Rome.
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I have a holiday in Rome coming up, so I'm sharing all the places I can't
wait to see, shop, and, of course, eat. My annotated map included!
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Summer has come, with all its neck-burning glory. A step outside means being charred to death and inside, the slow moving fan makes a whirlpool out of the hot, dense air. Bonjour, l'été! But the hot sun also brings down sudden outpour of rain, which I don’t care for in normal circumstances, but now it gives a few hours of bliss. Also, Summer means most of my favourite fruits're in season too! Also, its weird but I see prettier and more numbers of flowers blossoming in Summer vis a vis Spring. Wasn't Spring supposed to be the season for flowers and all that jazz?
There're these two trees in front of my apartment building and they currently fall under my most beloved trees' list. The building has just 6 flats and is a relatively intimate affair. Also just opposite to it is the colonial-era Circuit House building. Once upon a time, the world's first Polo Club was established in a place 1 minute walking distance away from me, down the road, and the world's first competitive Polo match was played in this huge Polo ground. Then Independence
I get off topic so much but what I wanted to say is that the Sahibs and their Memsahibs used to live in that lovely house (I’ve a thing for all things old), and from what I can make out now, they used to be the only firangi people living in this area and their nearest neighbours were some 100 meters away from them. Sadly, their neighbour's mansion was torn down a couple of years ago and now an imposing housing building stands in its place. But the one I'm babbling about still remains, having been conferred the 'Circuit House' title, which I guess means something. So, coming back to the topic, the whole road is lined with these big, old trees which're quite distinct from any in other parts of the town. These may well be the oldest surviving cluster of planted trees in this place. When it’s Summer, a few of these trees're ladened with flowers red and yellow, and when its winter, a few become full with flowers of the silk cotton tree.
Simul
Amaltas
The bigger of the two trees in front of my building is Bombax, a cotton tree, locally known as Simul. This really exquisite red flower blooms on it which falls down like fruits when it gets too heavy and a few weeks later, everywhere you can see little handfuls of cotton flying whenever the wind blows. The other, skinnier tree, Amaltas, which almost has no identity of its own in other seasons, blasts with yellow in Summer. Beautiful yellow flowers fill its branches and when they fly about in the wind, haye Allah, its gorgeous! And one can see the flowers up close from the terrace. But it sure means extra hard work for the sweeper to clear the flowers off the driveway every morning!
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Before Sunrise
Okay, this movie, like its sequel, is supposed to be very little known. But every person, whose taste in films I care about always knew about it! After so many recommendations, I finally sat down to watch it. And it wasn’t a let down. American Jesse and French Celine meet in a train going to Paris Vienna Vienna Vienna
Alright, alright. Think of it like this: jump ahead, ten, twenty years, okay, and you're married. Only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to have, y'know. You start to blame your husband. You start to think about all those guys you've met in your life and what might have happened if you'd picked up with one of them, right? Well, I'm one of those guys. That's me y'know, so think of this as time travel, from then, to now, to find out what you're missing out on. See, what this really could be is a gigantic favor to both you and your future husband to find out that you're not missing out on anything. I'm just as big a loser as he is, totally unmotivated, totally boring, and, uh, you made the right choice, and you're really happy.
The Frenchie went Touche.
They walked around the city, went to places Celine had visited as a child and to places new to both. They talked, they’ve their first kiss and they do a lot more. They mutually decide to not take eachother’s numbers or addresses. People send a few letters and call a few times and promise to forever keep in touch and then gradually forget eachother. They didn’t want that, they agree, even though they feel otherwise inside. The movie ends with Celine leaving in a train to Paris
Unstoppable (2010)
This movie’s neither exceptionally good nor bad. It is entertaining, entertaining as in in-your-face-adrenaline-rush kind of entertaining. It’s supposedly based on a real life incident and is not one of your mindless action flicks. Also, the train-not-stopping-and-the-heroes-trying-to-stop-it thing has been done too many times before. Apna The Burning Train hain na! But it’s definitely watchable, but you can live without having seen it too. Its that kind of a film. What I loved is the cinematography. A metallic train rushing through lush green Pennsylvania countryside. Amazing. Also, the Prince from the second Princess Diary film(yes, I’ve seen it and no, I’m not embarrassed :P), Chris Pine, is here too, along side Denzel Washington. That’s like only the third movie of his that I’ve seen.
Before Sunset (2004)
It’s the sequel to Before Sunrise. And I liked this one more. The conversation was more real, the setting being Paris Europe promotional tour for his book. And then they start their talkathon again, which is very, very real and so very harmlessly sarcastic. And that’s the main thing. The last time their conversation, especially on Jesse’s part, was too idealistic. But they kind of explain themselves here with the admission that they were “young and foolish”. If for no other reasons, I’d suggest Before Sunrise only to fully understand this one. Again, the ending is very open, as the film ends abruptly as Celine imitates Simone telling him that “Oh baby, you’re gonna miss your flight.”
Also, she sings a waltz for him and Julie Delpy, the actress, sings pretty decently!
She was the better of the two too!
Let me sing you a waltz
Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts
Let me sing you a waltz
About this one night stand
You were for me that night
Everything I always dreamt of in life
But now you're gone
You are far gone
All the way to your island of rain
It was for you just a one night thing
But you were much more to me
Just so you know
I hear rumors about you
About all the bad things you do
But when we were together alone
You didn't seem like a player at all
I don't care what they say
I know what you meant for me that day
I just wanted another try
I just wanted another night
Even if it doesn't seem quite right
You meant for me much more
Than anyone I've met before
One single night with you little Jesse
Is worth a thousand with anybody
I have no bitterness, my sweet
I'll never forget this one night thing
Even tomorrow, in another arms
My heart will stay yours until I die
Let me sing you a waltz
Out of nowhere, out of my blues
Let me sing you a waltz
About this lovely one night stand.
Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts
Let me sing you a waltz
About this one night stand
You were for me that night
Everything I always dreamt of in life
But now you're gone
You are far gone
All the way to your island of rain
It was for you just a one night thing
But you were much more to me
Just so you know
I hear rumors about you
About all the bad things you do
But when we were together alone
You didn't seem like a player at all
I don't care what they say
I know what you meant for me that day
I just wanted another try
I just wanted another night
Even if it doesn't seem quite right
You meant for me much more
Than anyone I've met before
One single night with you little Jesse
Is worth a thousand with anybody
I have no bitterness, my sweet
I'll never forget this one night thing
Even tomorrow, in another arms
My heart will stay yours until I die
Let me sing you a waltz
Out of nowhere, out of my blues
Let me sing you a waltz
About this lovely one night stand.
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The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Ragini MMS (2011)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Black Swan (2010)
Like I said before, Such a Brilliant movie after Such a Long time. A Beautiful Screenplay, Exquisite Visuals and Brilliant Acting makes this One of the Best Movies of 2010. While Mila Kunis was the much needed Spark in the movie, Deliciously Dark at times, the movie really rested on the shoulders of Natalie Portman. She’s one Star Actress who deserves more recognition. From playing a fragile girl to a malicious woman, she plays it all with such ease. Frenchman Vincent Cassel was great as the manipulating dance director. Barbara Hershey too was perfect as Portman's mother. The ballet was elegant and the use of special effects apt and justified. This is also the kind of a thriller movie which pretentious people can enjoy too without terming it ‘bourgeois’, as every other thriller gets branded otherwise. While some questions do remain unanswered, it’s a must watch for every other reason!
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
A Brother and a Sister born to a Lesbian Couple by Artificial Insemination try to find out their Biological Father. As the father gets more and more involved with the family, the dynamics of the happy house gets more and more disturbed. I liked this movie, even though *someone* seemed to hate it. Gah. Anyway, Superb Acting, no Stereotyped Lesbian Couple and a non-Hollywoody Ending. Even though Julianne Moore is great in her role as the Lesbian Counterpart of a Stay-At-Home-Mom-Wanting-To-Do-Something-More, she seems a bit uncomfortable in the kissing scenes. It was a Pleasant Surprise though at seeing Mia Wasikowska from Alice
Ragini MMS (2011)
You take The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, with a sprinkling of REC plus a bit of amateurish sex-scenes and you get Ragini MMS! Simple as that! It’s not that the movie was bad, but it was of a genre that has been Done to Death now elsewhere, even though it’s the Pioneer of its kind in Hindi cinema. The actor, Rajkumar Yadav, seems to’ve taken a Pledge to do only that kind of roles where he’s the Lusty Grey Character who has to make a sex-tape of some overtly trusting girl. In LSD, he succeeds to make one, here, the Bhootni-who-wasn’t-a-Chudail’s interference prevents him. The Bhootni isn’t the good kind, though. She bangs Miss Ragini left, right and centre. Also, she’s the kind that the Thackeray family’d approve of; she speaks shuddh Marathi only. Not a must watch, this is though the Perfect Date Movie, as the makers claim. It has plenty of silent moments which’d allow our daters to do exactly that only which our cinema halls’re popular for! :P
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Okay, I’m 60 years too late to see this classic, but in my defence, I began existing only 19 years ago. Cutting back to the movie, Vivien Leigh plays Blanche DuBois, a woman Too Primly Dressed for every occasion and who is haunted since and by the Suicide of her husband. She comes to live with her sister Stella and her working-class husband Stanley Kowalski, played by nonetheless Marlon Brando. The fact that Blanche and Stanley can't stand eachother is made apparent in the beginning only. Blanche is obsessed with the fear of Growing Old and is delusional more than half the time. Reality and Imagination mixes frequently for her as she tries to hide her Mucky Past from all. And then something Wrong happens to her in the end. This is one Psycho-Thriller that I’d recommend to everyone. Leigh over-acts with too much Frilly Movements but this is a character which well requires the Over The Top Mannerism. Kim Hunter is perfect as the loving sister and so is Brandon
