Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich: Vote Buying and the Corruption of Democracy (2016)

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Language: English

Author: Mary Frances Berry

Started this book in the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly elections 2016 and the news about large scale cash for votes allegations. 105 crore Indian Rupees (1.05 billion Indian Rupees) kept for distribution to voters was said to have been seized by authorities, one of the highest in Indian election history. Election in 2 constituencies were postponed amid allegation of industrial scale voter buying. It was predictable that when the final results came the vanquished teamed up to accuse the winner of successfully buying voters, while in reality it was a free for all based on Darwin's theory.

Like many of us I was also under the impression that these malpractices were rampant only in India, some even unique to our polity. Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich made me understand that there is little difference between the two largest democracies in the world when it comes to electoral malpractices. In fact the older (modern) democracy has a more illustrious and colorful history.

A brilliantly researched and a very well compiled book about the corruption of electoral democracy in the USA. One could find parallels between the US and India be it dynastic politics, impersonation / absentee voting, vote buying or brazen intimidation.

What impressed me more is the conclusions section that lists out practices from Alaska and Australia that are aimed at reducing the electoral malpractices. The Australian practice of making election "The celebration of democracy" where the voters converge in the booths to socialize, down a few beers, have a cake or a sausage sounds particularly impressive and had me thinking as to why we in India can't replicate it (we can probably leave the beer out, but still have the celebration). We can have the many marketers, the FMCG ones give little bouquets of gratitude to the voters, all centrally coordinated by the Election Commission. I am sure we can think of better ideas to reduce the malpractices and also increase voter turnout.

So much to learn and so much to take out makes this book one interesting package. It is most recommended to anyone who is interested in knowing more about the mechanics and working of darker side of electoral politics.

The Descendants (2011)

Country: USA

Language: English

Actors: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Robert Forster

Director: Alexander Payne

A two faced story that is a comedy in one frame and a family drama on the other. Superbly scripted, well-acted out movie that is in the running for this year’s best movie Oscars. I love the way the director opens the movie, with a disclaimer on what we thing Hawaii is and what it actually is.

It tells us the story of a workaholic Honolulu lawyer, Matt King. He is a father of two girls, a 10 & a 17 year old and a comatose wife in a hospital. He is also the trustee of a family holding of 25,000 acres of land in an island of Kauai. The land has to be sold before the trust expires in the next 7 years because of the law of perpetuities.

Matt is faced up with a couple of situations, with the wife in coma he has to take care of his two girls. From being a second hand father to hands on seems to be a tough transition for him, especially with the two problem children he has. With the sale of the trust land also in the materialization stage, he has his hands full.

The doctor’s tell Matt that his wife will never wake-up and because of her living will he has to authorize the hospital to pull the plug, discontinue life support. And he decides that he has to inform about his wife’s state to all her friends & family and get them to visit her for one last time before she dies. To amplify things, he gets to know about his wife’s infidelity from his elder daughter.

He decides to find his wife’s lover, confront him and get him to meet his (Matt’s) wife for one last time. The search complicates things further when he finds that the sale of the estate comes into this equation.

Does Matt get his wife’s lover meet her for one last time ?

How is the sale of the family estate linked to the equation ?

Is the estate sold ?

These are questions that will be answered towards the end of the movie.

George Clooney, what do I say ? Many have said that this is probably his best acting performance. Phew, was that acting ? I didn’t see Clooney at all except in the credit titles. Amazing stuff. Alexander Payne, all the usual clichés that are associated with a director of a good movie is due, to his man. His casting is one of the most important things that get this movie an extra couple of points. And of course every single one of his actors have done justice to their casting. And background score needs another mention, I loved the Hawaiian flavor.

Surely a best movie award material. I would only be surprised if this movie doesn’t win any Oscars, has to win at least a couple (hopefully).

A sure SuperWatch !!

Rashomon and other stories (1952)

Paperback

Language: English (Original in Japanese)

Author: Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Translator: Takashi Kojima

Few of us would know Ryūnosuke Akutagawa as the man who wrote Rashomon. A story immortalized on silver screen by Akira Kurosawa.

For the majority of us who don't bother to see credit titles, Akutagawa is a legend of Japanese literature, he is called the "Father of Japanese short story". He has a premier Japanese literary award named after him. A legend who lived in the late 1800’s and committed suicide 35 years later.

This book has 6 stories. The first two are the ones which Kurosawa made as Rashomon, In a groove and Rashomon. Every line of these two short stories you read brings before you Kurosawa’s movie, frame by frame. At the end of it you are confused if you want to praise the literary brilliance of Akutagawa or the faithful adaptation Kurosawa gave us (which by itself is an amazingly great movie).

Yam Gruel, the next story has some good humour in it. It is about a low ranking Samurai waiting for an opportunity to have his favorite yam gruel. And it has what you can call, a moral of the story. The next story “The Martyr” is a story about an orphan raised by Jesuit priests. “Kesa & Morito” , the next story is told in the form of a monologue of Morito and then Kesa. It is a story of a man who has to kill someone at the behest of his lover, whom he doesn’t love.

The last story, “The Dragon” is the story of a priest who by spreading a rumour about a dragon wants to go one up with his fellow priests because they make fun of his large nose. The story reminds one of the famous NFDC (India) animated promo against rumour from the late 1980’s.

The stories showcase how humans react when they come face to face with lust, greed, poverty etc. A special mention should go to Takashi Kojima, the translator of the stories. Amazingly written, super dooper read.

Most recommended.

Phatik Chand (1983)

Paperback

Language: English(Originally Bengali)

Author: Satyajit Ray

Translator: Lila Ray

This is a novel by Satyajit Ray the great film maker from Bengal, India.

This one is a poignant story of a 12 year old affluent kid who is kidnapped for ransom. The kidnap attempt goes haywire as the kidnappers crash their car and the kid escapes with minor external injuries but a major one internally, loss of memory. The boy who has lost his memory calls himself Phatik, afraid that he might have broken some law and hence be a person wanted by police he runs into oblivion and happens to meet a juggler Harun.

Harun-da takes Phatik under his wing and finds him a job in a restaurant owned by his friend. And there comes the twist in the story, the kidnappers spot Phatik in the restaurant. And Phatik without knowing why they are after him runs from them with the help of Harun-da. What happens next is the novel.

The characterization and the narrative are amazing. You feel like you are looking at a storyboard and not reading a novel. The relationship between the boy and Harun-da, the juggler is the heart of the novel and is handled beautifully by Mr Ray.

A short novel of 112 pages which you can’t put down without finishing it.

Super Read of monumental propositions !!

Most recommended.

PS: This novel was later made a feature film by Sandip Ray, Satyajit’s son.

Serious Men (2010)

Hardback

Language: English

Author: Manu Joseph

Social divide is something we Indians are very familiar with. Caste system & reservation has become the fief of our political masters who flash these cards only when our votes are needed. But it is something that affects many of us Indians in our daily lives from malicious stereotyping to outright slander and rejection. This work of fiction is the story of Ayyan Mani, a dalit who lives in a one room apartment in one of the many Chawls of Mumbai with his wife and son.

Mani is the personal assistant to the director of the Institute of Theory & Research, a research institute supposedly dominated by Brahmin scientists. Mani’s boss is a world famous physicist who nearly won the physics Nobel and who had a very famous run in with the Pope. Although he is aging he maintains a firm grip over the institutes functioning and is working on his pet project of proving the presence of alien microbes in the upper atmosphere and his autocratic ways are resented by a good section of people in the institute which results in a power struggle.

On the other side, Mani who resented the domination of Brahmins starts feeding his 10 year old convent going son Adi with intelligent questions to ask his teachers so that he can be labeled a genius. The modus operendi is to get the boy ask these questions to his teachers at random like questions on Arithmetic progression or about acceleration due to gravity.

Mani also pays one of the reporters of a small time newspaper to insert an article saying that Adi has won a science contest conducted by the Swiss science foundation. Step by step he succeeds in his mission of getting the world term his son a genius. He uses the feud between the two Brahmin leaders of the institute to further his ambition of showcasing his son’s genius.

This is a work of satire that gives us a glimpse of the social divides in India on the basis of caste. And how one can manipulate the situation to his or her own advantage.

Amazingly real and relatable and a good read.

God save the Dork (2011)

Paperback

Language: English

Author: Sidin Vadukut

A sequel to the hilarious Dork: The incredible adventures of Robin “Einstein” Varghese. In this episode the highflying consultant from Dufresne, Robin “Einstein” Varghese is sent on secondment to Lederman Bank in London. The good thing for us readers is that Robin still updates his famous diary.

This one again is a laugh riot that gives us a good look into the relationship issues Robin has with his girlfriend Gouri, his life in London, visit to museums, his tryst with the interns at Lederman, his relationship with the CEO of Lederman, the financial irregularities in Lederman, the mistake in the payroll system that effects in a windfall into his account and more.

There is something that has not changed at all, in fact at times you wonder if things have gotten better in this edition of Dork. The stupidity and naivety quotient of Robin gets bigger and better in this edition and hence laughing out your guts is guaranteed.

The fact is that sequels are a very tricky business but I think the fact that the books are a presentation of Robin’s diary entries helps the book a lot. Go for it…

Another Super Read from Sidin Vadukut !!

Dork: The incredible adventures of Robin “Einstein” Varghese (2010)

Paperback

Language: English

Author: Sidin Vadukut

As the name suggests this book is about the adventures of Robin “Einstein” Varghese. The story starts with the last few days of Robin on the campus of his business school. The days when campus recruitment is in full swing and Robin like many others in his institute want to be lapped up by a consultancy firm with a fancy salary.

The difference between the others and Robin is his top of the rack stupidity and naivety quotient. And more importantly a false air of confidence & the ability to screw-up or score an own goal at ease.

The story comes to us as Robin’s diary entries. It is a hilarious account of Robin’s naïve arrogance, stupid brilliance and confident messing-up of things. Episodes of Robin’s booze fueled bravado, puking, monumental hangover, epic fights with classmates / peers he hates, his quest to rewrite supply chain management, the stupid thought that he is going to be the savior of the world of consultancy. And the monumental of all, a booze fueled voicemail message which puts him on top of the world map of the consultancy business.

The story becomes even better if you have come across someone of Robin’s caliber in your life. It becomes more relatable and enjoyable. A laugh riot and most recommended !!

Super Read… Go for it !!

The Immortals of Meluha (2010)

Paperback

Language: English

Author: Amish Tripathi

This is the first of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. The author has taken Hindu mythology and has fictionalized it a bit to give a good novel.

The story is about the fight between the Meluhan Suryavanshi’s and the Chandravanshi’s who have joined force with the Naga’s to defeat the Meluhan’s. The king of Meluha invites various tribes to his country (Expat workers ?!!), one of them is a tribe from Tibet of which the leader is Shiva.

From the serene personality shown in the backdrop of Mount Kailash with his trishul, damaru & a snake coiled around his deep blue coloured neck we have seen in calendars, books and in our pooja rooms, we see a completely different Shiva here. A chillum bearing, marijuana smoking warrior and a lovable leader of a tribe.

Although the characterization takes a while to settle in you, it doesn’t disturb you. By the end of the first few pages the author manages to pull the readers into the fictional web he spins. Mahadev becomes a post occupied by great leaders, Somras makes Shiva’s throat go blue, Sati who becomes Shiva’s wife is a widow who remarries him.

There are places where you feel a slight reduction in the intensity with which the book moves. But by and large the author manages to keep the reader glued to the pages. And more importantly you start thinking about the second book by the time you finish this one.

A very good read

Chronicles of a death foretold (1981)

Paperback

Language: English (Originally Spanish)

Author: Gabriel García Márquez

Translator: Gregory Rabassa

Orignally written in Spanish as Crónica de una muerte anunciada. It is a murder mystery that chronicles the last day of Santiago Nasser, a ranch owner. Almost everyone in the village knows Santiago Nasser is going to be murdered and the reasons surrounding it.

The story starts on a busy day with Nasser waking up from a dream of walking through a grove of timber trees, waiting for the bishop who is to visit his village and the Vicario brothers waiting to kill him. The story isn’t linear, meaning it doesn’t follow an order.

The narrative follows Santiago, it moves on to the marriage of Angela Vicario, the wedding celebrations, Angela’s bride discovering that she is not a virgin and sending her back, the Vicario twins blaming Santiago for defiling their sister and finally murdering him. While the reader gets a clear idea as to why the Vicario twins want Santiago murdered, what we don’t get is whether Santiago really defiled Angela.

The most impressive thing about this work is the way Márquez sketches his characters. Especially the key ones like Santiago, Bayardo, Angela, her family and more importantly her brothers. This novel is replete with symbolism and supernatural stuff.

Never a dull moment in this novel with superbly chiseled characters and a powerful narrative.

A straight SuperRead.

PS: This novel was also adapted as a Spanish language feature film with the same title in 1987 directed by Francesco Rosi

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Country: USA

Language: English

Actors: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Adrien Broody, Kathy Bates, Marion, Cotillard, Carla Bruni

Director: Woody Allen

Cinematography: Darius Khondji

A fantasy RomCom movie by Woody Allen. The story is set in Paris and revolves around a group of Americans – A father, mother, daughter and her boyfriend to whom she is engaged. This movie brings to life some of the largest contributors to Modernism and Surrealism, which is supposed to be the extreme form of Modernism.

The plot is simple, the daughter and her boyfriend take a free ride to Paris with her parents. Her father is there to broker a business deal. The girl’s parents are very wealthy and conservative, the boyfriend is a distracted Hollywood writer who is in the process of finishing his novel. So the boyfriend, the protagonist of this movie is a misunderstood person as far as his fiancé’s parents go. To compound the situation another pseudo-intellectual friend of his fiancé comes into the scene. While he dislikes & questions his intellect his fiancé adores him.

As the protagonist walks through the streets of Paris he is transported into the golden era of Modernism, the 1920’s and there he meets the greats of that era one by one. Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemmingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Matisse, T S Elliot and also the master Surrealists in Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Luis Bunuel et al. During his time in the 1920’s he falls for Adriana, the beautiful mistress of Picasso which she too reciprocates. At the behest of Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein reads the protagonists novel. She praises his writing abilities but questions why the main character is ignorant of his girlfriend’s affair with the pedantic character.

This leads to his breaking-up with his fiancé and settling in Paris as he always wanted to. Having taken the big decision, he goes for a midnight walk where he meets the antique shop owner. The lady who, like him loved the Modernist movement and the music of Cole Porter. The film ends with them walking together in rain.

A lovely movie, Darius Khondji’s cinematography is worth a mention. The marriage of romance, comedy & fantasy works really well in this movie and the credit for which needs to go to Woody Allen.

A good movie which I guess will be part of the Oscar shortlists in 2012.

Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen (1974)

Paperback

Language: English

Author: P G Wodehouse

It was first published in the UK in October 1974. It incidentally is the last novel by Wodehouse to feature the famed combination of Bertie Wooster & his butler Jeeves. And my third Wodehouse novel !!

Bertie Wooster gets into situations at the throw of a hat and you have Jeeves to his rescue. This episode is enabled by a doctor who advises Bertie to take a countryside vacation to mind his health. Which according to his assessment is on the edge thanks to Bertie’s smoking and drinking routine. So Bertie and Jeeves go to this little town near Somerset where his favorite Aunt Dahlia is also vacationing.

And then you have a girl who rejected Bertie’s advances, her villainous dad, a college mate who is now this girls love interest, a certain Major Plank who is of the opinion that Bertie is one dangerous crook called Alpine foe, the Briscoe’s who host Wooster and a cat which would be kidnapped to force a result in a horse race. All characters result in one classic comic-drama.

There are many who feel that “Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen” is not the best of Wodehouse, not as comical as some of his other works. But I felt this one has a nice plot, super story and multiple comic knots. Wodehouse’s writing style and his storytelling ability comes to the fore in this one as well.

A Super R. Time well S. Highly R !!

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (1997)

Paperback (Vintage)

Language: English (Originally Japanese)

Author: Haruki Murakami

Translator: Jay Rubin

The Japanese book was released in three parts: Dorobō kasasagi hen (泥棒かささぎ編?), Yogen suru tori hen (予言する鳥編?), Torisashi otoko hen (鳥刺し男編?) in 1994-95. The English translation is one book of 600 odd pages (607).

The story is about the young Okada’s, the husband who has recently left his job with a law firm and his wife an editor of a health food magazine and their cat Noboru Wataya aka Mackerel. The cat disappears one day which triggers a series of surreal events including the end of the Okada’s relationship.

Murakami’s love for music comes to the fore, The Thieving Magpie (written by Gioachino Rossini) runs throughout the story among other jazz & classical pieces. The book covers a wide range of topics like relationships, psychics, the Russo-Japanese war (during WW II), surrealism, philosophy and even politics. Murakami’s story telling is mesmerising. He again provides us with a range of stuff from flashbacks to dreams to letters to conversations to two column newspaper reportage to internet chat transcripts. It is amazing how he straddles many themes and moves from different points-of-view.

There are some characters whom you would love for ever, some that make you wonder about and some whom one would loathe. Lieutenant Mamiya is one character who stays along with you for a while, so is the mother-son duo Nutmeg & Cinnamon. Characters like Boris the man skinner who is the epitome of cruelty and connivance and Noboru Wataya the politician are samples of the people of the other extreme. The internet chat transcripts (in a completely different font compared to the story text) and the two column newspaper reportage enliven the narrative.

Overall this is a bit heavy and a lengthy read. But for a couple of chapters which might be a bit boring, predictable and adding to the 607 pages, the rest make you sit-up and read. Reading this book alone (without external disturbances) enhances the surreal experience / feeling and makes it more enjoyable.

Very highly recommended.

PS: Haruki Murakami is in the running for the Nobel prize for literature this year. He is presumed to be the 3rd favorite for the prize with an 8/1 odd

The legend of 1900 (1998)

Country: Italy / USA

Language: English

Actors: Tim Roth, Puritt Taylor Vince & Peter Vaughan

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Music: Ennio Morricone, Amedeo Tommasi

Tornatore’s first English movie, a story told as a series of flashbacks. This technique of using a series of flashbacks is called “Medias in ras” (Latin) or “In the middle of things”. This film is an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s theatre monologue Novecento.

This movie is about a musician Danny Boodman T D Lemon 1900 or 1900, a piano prodigy who has never set foot on land. 1900 is abandoned as infant in the ship SS Virginian to be found and taken care of by a coalman. 1900 keeps travelling back and forth the Atlantic and becomes the pianist in the ship’s orchestra.

The movie is the recollection of Max Rooney, a trumpet player and 1900’s friend & band mate. He talks about the exploits of 1900. Needless to say, because the protagonist is a piano player we get to hear some fantastic music. As any other Tornatore movie, this one too is a visual treat.

Tom Roth as 1900 does really well. Another important player in this movie is Puritt Taylor Vince who plays Max Rooney, the guy who tells us the story of 1900. But the hero of the movie is definitely Lajos Koltai’s cinematography and Ennio Morricone’s music.

Like Max Rooney says, “A good story is worth more than an old trumpet”. This one is surely worth much more, highly recommended.

Dial M for murder (1954)

Language: English

Actors: Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Ray Milland

Director: Sir Alfred Hitchcock

Originally it was a play written by Frederick Knott that came on BBC in 1952. This again is one of those Sir Hitchcock experiements, just two major locations. First the Wendice’s flat and then the gentleman’s club. There are also two other minor locations, the road outside the Wendice’s flat and a courtroom montage (more about the courtroom scene in the PS).

The story is about an extramarital affair. A busy, tennis player husband. A beautiful lonely wife who falls for a crime writer. The husband gets to know of the relationship and he wants to finish his wife off for two reasons. First the most simple of reasons, revenge and second the most important, inheritance. Does he manage to achieve his objectives ?

That is the signature Sir Hitchcock suspense element. The beauty is that there have been many me too’s after this great movie. Lots of remakes and adaptations that didn’t even come close to this one. Beautifully made is an understatement. This one is one of the top ten mystery movies in the American Film Institute’s best movies list (June 2008).

Sir Hitchcock’s cameo happens 13 minutes into the movie. He’s seen sitting the near left of the banquet table in the college reunion photograph that Tony Wendice shows to Charles Alexander Swann.

Overall, dial M for a super movie…

PS: If that courtroom montage is put to action in Indian movies lots of actors would lose their job. There won’t be the unnecessary “Your honour” and the “Under IPC 304” anymore. We’ll get to see some beautiful courtroom scenes we’ll look forward to, seriously !!

City of Life (2009)

Country: United Arab Emirates

Language: Arabic, Hindi, English

Actors: Sonu Sood, Alexandra Maria Lara, Saoud Al Kaabi, The Narcicyst, Susan George, Jason Flemyng, Ahmed Ahmed, Jaaved Jaffrey

Director: Ali F Mostafa

This is the second time I watched this movie. The first time was at DIFF (Dubai International Film Festival) quite some time ago. The first time I watched it there was a certain amount of awe, a WOW factor enveloped me. A film from & about the place I live in, Dubai. By a Emirati director, an young director who was trying to break the stereotype and addressing issues that are discussed a great deal and detail within and outside Dubai.

This time I watched it as another international movie. There were some things in common I found both times I watched this movie.

It is a good movie, gripping storyline and it is very well done. The director I’m sure did a great deal of research to chisel the characters to perfection, you can feel it when you watch the movie. All three protagonists, the Emirati youngster, the taxi driver & the airhostess remain in your mind for a while after you’ve finished watching this movie. You should also commend the director for his narrative, that is another reason why the characters and story get etched in your mind for a while.

May be this movie would have been a bit more interesting if the 3 episodes were treated as standalone rather than running all three stories in parallel. When I try to visualize this movie in my head as a pulp fiction it sounds as interesting as a Amores Perros. When I say this don’t try to compare the storyline, just imagine treating "City of Life" the Iñárritu way. Doesn’t that sound exotic ? That would have raised this movie to the next level, a SuperWatch.

Very well done movie, surely a good watch. Highly recommended.

The Whistleblower (2010)

Language: English

Actors: Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci & Vanessa Redgrave

Director: Larysa Kondracki

Screenplay: Larysa Kondracki, Eilis Kirwan

This movie chronicles the (true) story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a US policewoman & UN peacekeeper in Bosnia. She blew the lid about human trafficking that was happening which involved the officers in duty from many countries. Initially persecuted by her own employers & then fired from her job, she later took her employers to court. Although she own her case, the CASE was lost. Most of the people indicted were let off (they were just struck off rolls) because of the immunity they enjoyed in Bosnia.

Rachel Weisz does fantastically well as Bolkovac, so do the other cast. Strong narrative, amazingly seamless, although graphic at times this one is a lovely movie. Credit for this movie should definitely go to the screenwriters, Larysa Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan. Although the last 3-4 frames gave you a bit of a documentary feel, this is an out and out feature based on a real life account.

The one drawback I faced was my not understanding Bosnian (I presume that is the language that comes in the movie in some parts…), what compounded the problem was the non-availability of subtitles. I’m not sure if that was a problem with the print I was watching or the film was made this way. All I could pick-up was a few Romanov’s & Molotov’s, I hope it was the print I was watching and not the movie.
Another movie I would place between SuperWatch & GoodWatch… The lower meniscus wins again, I would put this in the GoodWatch rack.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Language: English

Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy & Marisa Tomei

Director: Brad Furman

A thriller adapted from a book of the same name by Michael Connelly. Simple plot, a lawyer find out that his client is guilty, not only of the case he’s defending him but also in a few others. The client gets to know that his attorney knows a bit too much and wants to get even.

Does the client get even ?

Does the lawyer play by his conscience or the profession ?

That is the movie.

Nothing out of the blue or amazing about the storyline. Once you fix who the hero is between the lawyer and his client, you know which side to take. We normally take the side of the good, right ? Very predictable. The writer, director & the actors do really well to keep you engaged and ensure that you don’t get bored.

I haven’t read the book and I don’t intend to. But I’m sure the director has done his job well in casting these actors. And the actors have repaid the faith the director had in them. Definitely not a Super Watch but a bit more than a Good Watch. But, I would settle down the lower meniscus. Good Watch.

This is a movie the direct marketers, CRM & Loyalty experts shouldn’t miss. At least the last dialogue of the last scene where the protagonist says, “Repeat customers, stick it to them next time”. A very important lesson on Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

There was also one thing I didn’t quite like about the movie, the music. I think it opened well, but followed a downward curve with a rap themed music. Probably one of those predictable “Rap = Crime” kind.

And the other interesting thing is that he could have been a Toyota Land Cruiser Lawyer or a Chrysler 300C Lawyer or even a Honda CRV Lawyer. So why Lincoln Lawyer ?

PS: I'm tempted to steal the story and remake it in Tamil as Ambassador Vakkil... The driver and the lawyers assistants can be comedians and we can have a minimum of 2 item numbers. A complete movie !!

A History of Violence (2005)

Language: English

Actors: Viggo Mortensen, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Maria Bello

Director: David Cronenberg

Screenplay (Adaptation): Josh Olson

An adaptation of the novel of the same name written by John Wagner & Vince Locke. As the name suggests it is a crime thriller.

The story works on a simple premise, the tried and tested "once a bad man who tries to be a good man is pulled back to his bad ways by circumstances". The one subtle difference here is that the man is pulled into the crime muddle inadvertently, when he kills two robbers in self-defence, he becomes the small town’s hero overnight. The new found fame gets his old pals back to him and then the bloody drama unfolds.

While the premise might look similar, the storyline and the treatment are refreshingly different from the “once a baddie, now a goodie, pulled back into badness stories” we are familiar with.

William Hurt appears for less than 9 minutes in the movie, he was nominated for the best supporting actor Oscars in the 78th edition. Though I personally liked Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of the protagonist, Tom Stall / Joey Cusack. A docile family man from a small town in a frame and the bloodthirsty, ruthless mobster in the second.

The one thing I didn’t like / understand is the need for a full frontal exposure in a scene (the heroine does it, if that interests you and would spur you to watch this movie !!). That particular scene for me is like the foreign location dream sequences in Indian cinema, meaningless.

Good movie to watch.

I confess (1953)

Languge: English

Actors: Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Carl Malden

Director: Sir Alfred Hitchcock

The legend has it that it took 8 years for Sir Hitchcock to come up with the script for this film. This one is a drama involving a Christian priest. A man confesses to the priest about a murder he committed. The priest does his pastoral duties well, only to land as the suspect in the police net. He is later tried for the murder with the actual criminal testifying against him. In spite of all this the priest is acquitted for lack of evidence and then comes the mandatory Hitchcockian twist that gives an edge of the seat end to the movie.

Montgomery Clift comes across as a very serious priest, stiff, expressionless at times. I wonder if this is what they call ‘method’ acting. Makes me think, may be a James Steward would have been more enterprising.

And now for the customary Hitchcock appearence... This happens in the start, right after the credit titles. Sir Hitchcock is seen walking across the stairs.

The music director of this movie is Dimitri Tiomkin, one of the 3 music directors who did multiple films with Sir Hitchcock. Tiomkin composed for 4 of his movies.

Whatever said… This is a good movie, typical of Hitchcock.

Source Code (2011)

Language: English

Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga & Jeffrey Wright

Director: Duncan Jones

Written by: Ben Ripley

A nicely made Sci-fi suspense thriller. For a difference, the human emotions overshadow the Sci-fi-ness of the movie. And that makes this movie different. Jake Gyllenhaal does well, now we know two movies where he has ACTED – Brokeback Mountain & Source Code. And it is a well scripted and directed flick.

Good Watch, one of those movies I wouldn’t mind spending my money on.