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Hitler finds out Michael Jackson has died. (via stubod2001) – absolutely hilarious and very wrong! #film, #video
His Master's Toys
“All is but toys: renown, and grace, is dead; The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees Is left this vault to brag of” --- William Shakespeare
Hitler finds out Michael Jackson has died. (via stubod2001) -…
"There are cemeteries that are lonely, graves full of bones that do not make a sound, the heart…"
“
There are cemeteries that are lonely,
graves full of bones that do not make a sound,
the heart moving through a tunnel,
in it darkness, darkness, darkness,
like a shipwreck we die going into ourselves,
as though we were drowning inside our hearts,
as though we lived falling out of the skin into the soul.
And there are corpses,
feet made of cold and sticky clay,
death is inside the bones,
like a barking where there are no dogs,
coming out from bells somewhere, from graves somewhere,
growing in the damp air like tears of rain.
Sometimes I see alone
coffins under sail,
embarking with the pale dead, with women that have dead hair,
with bakers who are as white as angels,
and pensive young girls married to notary publics,
caskets sailing up the vertical river of the dead,
the river of dark purple,
moving upstream with sails filled out by the sound of death,
filled by the sound of death which is silence.
Death arrives among all that sound
like a shoe with no foot in it, like a suit with no man in it,
comes and knocks, using a ring with no stone in it, with no
finger in it,
comes and shouts with no mouth, with no tongue, with no
throat.
Nevertheless its steps can be heard
and its clothing makes a hushed sound, like a tree. I’m not sure, I understand only a little, I can hardly see,
but it seems to me that its singing has the color of damp violets,
of violets that are at home in the earth,
because the face of death is green,
and the look death gives is green,
with the penetrating dampness of a violet leaf
and the somber color of embittered winter.
But death also goes through the world dressed as a broom,
lapping the floor, looking for dead bodies,
death is inside the broom,
the broom is the tongue of death looking for corpses,
it is the needle of death looking for thread.
Death is inside the folding cots:
it spends its life sleeping on the slow mattresses,
in the black blankets, and suddenly breathes out:
it blows out a mournful sound that swells the sheets,
and the beds go sailing toward a port
where death is waiting, dressed like an admiral.
”
– Nothing But Death by Pablo Neruda
Man On Wire & Gran Torino
I love Saturdays. First a jamming session with a couple of musicians, (where I realized that not touching an instrument like Tabla for thirteen years can make you pretty pathetic at it, no matter how well you knew it before), followed by experiments with spinach, potato, yellow split lentils, and red wine, and eventually concluded with a couple of film viewings along with the experimental dinner.
I tend to repeat myself a lot – people complain that I praise every film I see. However, I choose my viewing list very very carefully after extensive research, and that helps keepign the trash away. Today they were ‘Man On Wire’ and ‘Gran Torino’.
Man On Wire is an exquisite film, a documentary about Philip Petit, the tight-rope walker who performed his class act by doing a high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in NYC back in 1974.
The filmmakers must have had quite a few challenges – especially since remarkable documentaries are made of stark truth, however easy or difficult that might be. Furthermore, a documentary about an (literally high-wire) act such as this, itself needs to be complex enough to stand up to the task that its trying to portray… or else, it falls flat very easily.
And yet, James Marsh proves himself in this one. Starting from outstanding storytelling to classy cinematography, from slick yet arty editing, to extreme honesty about every single detail, this film had everything. I especially loved the build up to the act, from the point they smuggle in the gear into the Twin Towers to the actual act.
However, the best part of the film of course is the man himself, a character whose mesmeric tone and passion for the insane act carries so much force, so much vehemence, that you find yourself wondering about this world — why do we have to have a why for everything?
Next up was Gran Torino, the Clint Eastwood film thats been playing foever in the theaters in the US, the man whose name they sing in the same breath as Hollywood approaching the peak of his talent as he gets older. This wasn’t a Million Dollar Baby, but it is definitely worth a watch due to its classic character reversal narrative and Dirty Harry elements.
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Between 1968-1977, West Germany’s socio-political structure went through its most tumultuous era. Born as an antithesis of the Nazi era, the student protests in Germany against the spread of American imperialism began a period of chaos that would end with the infamous hijack of the Lufthansa aircraft, turning it into one of the most ironical acts in German history. Uli Edel’s brilliant film ‘The Baader Mienhof Complex‘ details the beginning, middle and end of that movement, bringing to life Stefan Aust’s work “The Baader-Meinhof Group”.
The film begins with a pleasant day at a German beach in 1967, introducing us to the gorgeous Ulrike Meinhof who was then a very well known journalist working for a left wing magazine. As the police atrocities begin against the student protesters, she finds herself empathizing with their cause, writing the following lines after assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke.:
Protest is when I say this does not please me.
Resistance is when I ensure what does not please me occurs no more
The film the picks up a raging pace that left me at the edge of the seat till the very end, shifting constantly between the key characters of the RAF and the devolution of their entire belief structure from high idealism to rioting and terrorism. Amongst the characters, Mienhof’s story is the most fascinating, her intelligence and natural empathy constantly in conflict with the hard-hitting nature of the group. Played by Martina Gedeck, Mienhof’s beliefs and sacrifices provides an immediate contrast to the rebellious madness of the hardliner Andreas Baader, who was one of the first members of the RAF.
As I walked out of the theater after two and half hours, I realized that RAF’s tale has many parallels. Naxalite groups that originated from Bengal, for instance. (Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi‘ is a must-watch for anyone who is interested in similar story based in an Indian setting.) Outstanding direction, great acting, and superb screenplay all make for a very compelling watch for anyone who has the stomach for the aggressive violence that’s rampant throughout the film.
Rating: 4.5/5
Anti-climax of Quantum of Solace
Watched Quantum of Solace today. Bad, very bad climax. Actually no real climax or buildup, because the first and second act of the film itself was pretty intense and it waned off near the end.
Definitely was nowhere close to the previous one of the franchise. Still… go watch it. Its fun.
the pirates and their loot!
Amongst the most insane places to visit in Mumbai is Chorbazar (or, ‘thieves’ market’), where you could purchase everything from parts of dismantled ships, to statues stolen from dilapidated monuments, from original hand-sketched posters of extremely old bollywood films, to books and magazines that date back to early 1900s.
This image was taken in an anonymous warehouse that you had to enter through a backdoor…
The ‘loot’ comes from everywhere, each store has its own network spread across the country and outside (you would find stuff from Sri Lanka, parts of Africa…)…
Obviously, photography is not allowed. However, a few gentle words helped break into their world.
As I started digging into the history of the place, I found that the Wikipedia entry about the place itself had been hijacked! An excerpt below :-
Chor Bazaar is an area in South Mumbai famous for its second-hand goods. Although the name Chor means “thief” in Hindi. This area can be considered one of the tourist attractions of Mumbai (Bombay). It is a basically an “organized” flea market, where one has to rumage through junk and hopefully find treasures. The reason it is know as “thief’s market”, is because it assumed that goods sold there are stolen. Chor Bazaar if off the beaten path, but everyone knows about it.
In addition, the name Chor Bazaar was adopted by an Indie Indian Fused tshirt label based out of Brooklyn, NY with roots in, India. link title
Our designs are meant not just to be “cool” but to evoke memories of experiencing India, the India that our parents were raised in and the one that exists today. Both are far different but both are still very Indian.
Our mission is to expand the Indian-fusion art form to another realm. Most have experienced this, “fusion”, in music and literature but have hardly seen this transpire into urban apparel. We utilize the medium of our graphic t-shirts to assist in creating an identity that stems farther than mainstream’s portrayal of Indian culture.
Dang! 
-
- htTweets Kolkata Book Fair committee cancelled Taslima Nasreen's book release programme today @taslimanasreen #ht
- @NaveenTewari Good luck. Doubt it though, given the recent history. ;)
- Workaholism - the biggest fad of this century. Or do I just hang out with the wrong kinds.
Follow me @desoumal Connect
