Sunday morning

I almost forgot how it feels to wake up late and be home on a Sunday morning.

I wake up at 9 and stay home every other day... almost. But they're not Sundays, can never be.

But now that it's pouring down outside, I just sit back with a cup of hot coffee and put some music on. Maybe Dido's "Quiet Times"... or something by Suede.

Last week I went to my aunt's place in Cooch Behar. Ignorant as you may call me, but I was in reality toally oblivious to the fact that the district was one of the most historically rich places in this state until I got this invitation. But once I reached there and went for a walk in the afternoon, I totally fell in love with the town. For the next two days I travelled a lot in and around the city, and my Canon PowerShot camera proved to be quite useful.

THE TOWN

CoochBehar is a town of picturesque pools and grand heritage buildings. Apart from the magnificient Royal Palace that graces the central portion, there are lots of beautifully arcitectured old buildings scattered in and around the town. Most of them are rejuvenated and now serve as official administrative buildings. The oldest building still functioning is the Mustafi House, established in 1765, which was the residence of the Raja's nayeb, and his descendants still live in there. The famous MadanMohan temple also is said to be established around that time. There are also five pools in the town, among which the Sagar Dighi is the largest.


















































But of course, it goes without saying that these buildings are nothing compared to the CoochBehar Rajbari.

THE PALACE
The absolutely wonderful CoochBehar palace was built by the Koch king Nripendra Narayan in 1887. The arcitecture was quintessentially Roman, the dome very much reminiscent of the Vatican buildings, but the structure and inner decor were influenced by the Buckingham palace.
As you can see, the left wing of the palace is 7 blocks shorter than the right, the reason being unknown. The path through the well-kept garden leads straight to the Durbar Hall, which serves as a photo gallery now.

The last king of Koch dynasty, Jagatdripendra Narayan, ruled CoochBehar till 1950, and after that it was acquired by the Indian Government and became a part of West Bengal. Subsequently the Archeological Survey of India took control of the palace and did some major restoration. The six rooms that are now open for general visitors serve as a museum. It's a pity that they don't let you inside with a camera, because the inner arcitecture of the dome as seen from the Durbar Hall is absolutely breathtaking.


I also took some trips around Cooch Behar outside the town during my stay, namely the Chilapata Forest, Rasikbill animal sanctuary and the Baneswar temple. But those stories won't be featured in this post. Maybe later...

Aliens In Cinema

A brief look at the portrayal of extraterrestrial life in the history of cinema :

So much for those 'little green men'. If you look back into the history of cinema, it's indeed fascinating that despite having little actual scientific proof on existence of intelligent extra-terrestrial life, filmmakers (and sci-fi novelists) have always applied their wildest imagination and went on to make movies after movies featuring alien life-forms with diverse themes ranging from hardcore science-fiction to even romantic comedies. This article tries to trace back common trends on silver-screen aliens and changes they went through with time. Although presence of alien life-forms in cinema can be traced way back to 1902 in the celebrated Georges Meliés film "A Trip to the Moon" where they appear as 'Selenites' or inhabitants of moon... or in 1920's when the Russian film "Aelita" (1919) and a Danish film named "Himmelskibet" (1924) featured Martians; but it was not until the decade of 1950s when filmmakers successfully exploited the post-World War mass paranoia and made numerous films on alien invasion the golden age of sci-fi began.

A vast majority of films feturing aliens throughout the history of cinema almost typically portray them as ugly violent creatures (with or without their evil superior technology) that make human civilization at peril but, apart from very few exceptions, it's always the indomitable human spirit that defeats those vile Goliaths (of course, since the moviegoers are human, not aliens :P ). Many of 1950's famous B-movies like "It Came From Outer Space", "Them!!", "20 Million Miles to Earth", "Plan 9 from Outer Space", "The Blob", "Invasion of Body Snatchers" etc successfully cashed on this basic idea. Even recent years saw successful films with similar storylines -- e.g. "Independence Day" or "War of the Worlds". And one shouldn't forget Tim Burton's hilarious star-cast ensemble "Mars Attacks!!" - a film that most intelligently spoofs the very basic plot of those aforementioned films. In 1979, Ridley Scott's masterpiece "Alien" brought a whole new concept into this whole 'bad alien' genre - a sense of silent claustrophobic uneasy horror of the unknown. Although its sequels didn't follow this trend but "Alien" itself saw a number of followers of similar execution that featured a rather low-key, sinister and silent extraterrestrial menace in films like John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982), Ron Howard's "Cocoon" (1984), "Species" (1992), "The Astronaut's Wife" (1999 - with Johnny Depp as the astronaut and Charlize Theron as the wife) and the very intelligent "Pitch Black" (2000).

With the growing public awareness on astronomy and related science since the late 1960's after US sent their manned probe to moon, it was time for filmmakers also to understand that the extra-terrestrial lifeform doesn't always have to be hostile and menacing to human society. Steven Spielberg's two films - "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and of course the celebrated "ET" (1984) portray aliens as utterly peace-loving and human-friendly and helpful and so on. The seminal TV serial "Star Trek" is a pioneer in inventing the 'space opera' genre... one which emphasizes on the very idea of co-existence of various alien civilizations with the humans in the galaxy and related politics. George Lucas' "Star Wars" (1977) and its sequels and prequels took this 'space opera' idea to a dizzy height of excellence where different alien races appear as both allies and enemies to humans. Other films also adopting this very idea include the lesser-known "Alien Nation" movies which, in my opinion, are few of the most underrated films of the genre.

However, when it came to designing the nature of extra-terrestrial life-forms and their morphology for the movies, I must say, only a few filmmakers were able to think beyond the basic body structure of head-torso-limbs with their own modifications in this whole 60 years of serious alien films. Due to lack of huge budget and necessary technology, 1950s aliens were almost always a man in a vile disgusting ugly-looking rubber suit resembling reptiles/insects/gorillas etc. Ridley Scott's 1979 "Alien" is also essentially the same thing... but the design itself was extremely innovative and indeed quite terrifying. Some of the earlier films that could think outside the box regarding this subject include "The Blob" (1959), where the alien is, well, a giant-sized amoeba... and the very interesting influencial film "Planet of the Apes" (1968) where it shows a planet with gorillas and chimpanzees as the dominant species holding less-advanced humans as slaves. The celebrated alien look of large oval head with large oval eyes and long thin pale-white limbs was most probably originated in an illustration by, yes, Satyajit Ray in his late 1950s (exact year unknown) short story "Bonkubabu'r Bondhu". It is said that Ray also wrote a script (which included a detailed drawing of the design) based on the story for a Hollywood production in late 1960s but before he could finish it, the script leaked in the market and Ray lost his copywright. To my knowledge, this alien exodesign made its first appearance in Spielberg's "Close Encounters..." and with a few minor modifications, in "ET" as well. Interestingly, several real-life proclaimers of alien abduction/'sightings' also describe a fairly similar morphology!

"Star Wars", being one of the most influencial films in the history of modern cinema in my opinion, single-handedly created over 20 alien designs... complete with totally outlandish alien names! Who would forget the memorable characters like Jabba the Hutt, Jar-jar Binks or master Jedi Yoda? Recent films like "Men in Black" also has quite a large number of different alien designs - including a foul-mouthed English-speaking dog :P . But anyway, a number of alien films over the years have only normal-looking human being as the alien visitor (reasons behind this can be anything from really intelligent storylines to low budget issues). They can be either plain humans in the first place or they changed into human forms upon coming to earth. Notable examples include - "Invasion of Body Snatchers" (1957), "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1973 - with David Bowie as the alien), "Starman" (1984), "Species" (1996 - with Natasha Henstridge as the alien's scantily-clad human female form), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1956) and its terrible 2008 remake (with Keanu Reeves as the alien).

However, some of the master filmmakers did execute the very idea that extra-terrestrial consciousness don't even have to display an external form. It can be just by itself or can appear in a whole different manner (e.g. a planet can itself be an alive and conscious being). Rudiments of this very concept can be seen in the early 1953 sci-fi romance "Forbidden Planet" where the visually nonexistent alien consciousness appear only as the villainous alter-egos of human beings. Two of the most celebrated and influencial sci-fi films of all time - Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Tarkovsky's "Solaris" (1972) embrace this very idea of morphologically nonexistent extraterrestrial consciousness in the most intelligent fashion... and why not? Those stories were penned by two of the sci-fi legends - Arthur C. Clarke and Stanislaw Lem. These two films also generated a few thematic followers in James Cameron's "The Abyss" (1989), Michael Crichton's "Sphere" (1996), Carl Sagan's "Contact" (1996), "Event Horizon" (1997) etc.

I wonder if Indian cinema will ever be able to take up extraterrestrial life as a serious concept (No, I'm not talking about the cheesy "Koi Mil Gaya" with its even cheesier alien 'jaadu'). But anyway, I was initially excited about the news that David Fincher was attached to direct a film version of Clarke's sci-fi masterpiece novel "Rendezvous with Rama". I was excited how Fincher could design the Ramans. But the sad news is, friends, that Fincher recently decided to drop the project as he thinks the story is "too complex to be ever filmed". And I think in a way, he's right.

_______________________________________
Note: I decided to write this as I found out that there's a surprising absence of reliable online articles on this topic. It contains my original research mostly done years ago with a few recent alterations.

Be Very Afraid :)

I had a long regret about not having seen the spanish modern classic "The Orphanage" in theatre when it came out. It was released at Nandan a few months back and I took my time and pushed my schedules aside to go there on its second day, only to find out that the hall is closed due to some workers' strike. And now I've downloaded it off torrent and I'm happy. Yes, it's a horror film and few things are more relaxing to me than a good horror movie.

Horror movies and I go a long way back. In my childhood days there were neither computers nor cable tv in every household. Bandhs in those days were celebrated by playing cricket right on city streets, a grand lunch with mutton purchased the night before and yes, watching movies. On every bandh my father used to rent a video cassette player from the neighborhood library and three VHS films everytime - one Bengali, one Hindi and one English. On one such early 90's afternoon, I got the chance to watch this 1977 horror flick "The Car", about a mysterious killer car terrorizing a small town, which generated my later interest in (especially limited budget B-grade) horror/thriller movies. 'The Car' itself, on my later evaluation, was a most stupid film... but back then it managed to fascinate the 9-year-old me nevertheless.

Before the magical era of the 70's, horror/thrillers were almost always dismissed as inferior bi-products of immoral entertainment. Notable exceptions are of course some German expressionist films or a few Hitchcock movies. I believe, however, the true Golden Age of horror films started from the famous Roman Polanski epic "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). With the demise of the Production Code of America in the late 60's and an increasing public fascination with the occult, the genre was able to be reshaped by a series of intense, often gory horror movies. Several modest budget productions with Catholic-themed horror plot followed soon after - notably 'The Exorcist', 'The Sentinel', 'Alice Sweet Alice' and 'The Omen'. Stephen King novel adaptations also garnered much success that time... most notably Brian DePalma's "Carrie". But my personal opinion is that these films didn't define the era like a few limited budget films by the following four gentlemen did - George Romero, David Cronenberg, Dario Argento and John Carpenter. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" and its sequels are pioneers of zombie movies... showing directors around the world how intelligent make-up and stage effects don't require big budget. Cronenberg successfully invented the 'body horror' subgenre and went on to make classics after classics like "Shivers", "The Brood" and "Rabid". His films were not overall filled with gore, yes, but those few climax scenes featured some of the most gut-wrenching sequences ever filmed. 

Carpenter, on the other hand, had a distinct style of sequencial scares i.e. his scares are not about what you see on screen, but what you don't see. He heavily relied upon atmosphere, music and the viewer's imagination. His "Halloween" (1977) is considered the pioneer of 'slasher' subgenre, and today's slasher filmmakers will be ashamed to see the minimum amount of gore in that film.

Speaking of gore, a few Italian filmmakers invented a new subgenre that time - "giallo"... meaning 'yellow' - which featured extensive gore and sexuality. Heavily influenced by grand guignol theatrical productions, many of these films, often filmed with the most minimum budget, were banned at the time of release but later termed as classics. Notable filmmakers include Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci and yes, Dario Argento. Argento's use of distinctive first-person camera style, false colours, superior sound effects and of course more mature script made him one of the masters of the era. His "Suspiria" (1976) is in my opinion, a genre-defining film... and has effects many of the modern filmmakers would never imagine. His other notable films from that decade include giallo classics "Profondo Rosso" and "Tenebrae" and more subtle suspense horror "Inferno". Fans of more crude Italian 'giallo' productions of the late 70's may try out Bava's "Blood and Black Lace" or Fulci's misogynistic hit "The New York Ripper" or Deodato's exploitation classic "Cannibal Holocaust" (the killing sequences of which were so realistic that in fact it required a court trial to prove that it's not a snuff movie).

There is one film, however, without which a discussion on 70's horror films would be incomplete... and it's not a primary horror film at all in the first place. Those who have seen Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece "Alien" (1979) would definitely agree that this film is indeed one of the scariest movies of all time. Apart from the famous chestburster scene (which would definitely scare the shit out of every first-time viewer, irrespective of age, sex and intelligence :P ) the film has copious amounts of a strange claustrophobic atmospheric horror scenes, always keeping the audience expecting the worst but seldom showing it.

The later years saw increasing amount of big budget star-studded productions, although small-budget indie filmmakers continued to make classics -- like Sam Raimi's 1981 gorefest "Evil Dead", Sean Cunningham's 1982 slasher hit "Friday the 13th" (and its sequels, which revolutionized the now-overused horror plot of masked psychopaths brutally murdering teenagers having sex), the Coen brothers' 1985 debut "Blood Simple" or Peter Jackson's 1987 comedic splatter debut "Bad Taste". Famous critically acclaimed directors tried out their hands in horror films like Kubrick in "The Shining" (1987) or Coppola in "Dracula" (1992). Late 90's saw a few horror/thriller classics coming out of Japan e.g. "Ringu" or "Odishon". Although good horror films are still being made these days (examples include 2001's Nicole Kidman-starrer "The Others" and Danny Boyle's 2004 masterpiece "28 Days Later"), I feel horror films have grown more commerciallized and therefore, restricted, since the 80's. This is one genre you cannot have restrictions on what you show, or regrets on what you leave out. In order to make films more 'mainstream', directors lost that very touch, the very target that the 70's filmmakers had. That's why the 70's always attract me.

Of slums and mansions

The city of Kolkata never ceases to amaze me.

Especially the north, where there's always some mystery, some surprises left. Get down from the tube at M G Road, take the C R Avenue and walk back a little towards the Ram mandir and you get Muktarambabu Street -- narrow, crowded, dirty in the most Calcuttan way, filled up with small tea stalls, sweetmeat outlets, fake jewellery shops, slum urchins and old shoemakers. Walk due west and suddenly you find yourself in front of a magnificient large marble-white palace with a well-kept lawn in front. This is the little-known Mallick raajbari, with its enormous never-ending collection of old paintings, marble sculptures, furnitures and what not. You need either passes from the Government or some quick witty lie to get inside, otherwise they won't let you.

The Mallicks were former Rajabahadurs during the British era and you can see how wealthy they were. The palace is something like a big curio shop. I say "shop" instead of "museum" because all these priceless pieces of art are just sort of dumped in four large halls with little efforts for individual identification or preservation. Browse carefully if you know what to look for and you'll find original paintings by Rubens, Murillo, Opie or Reynolds lying scattered among over hundred other art pieces. There are also thousands of Italian marble sculptures, ranging from as early as sixteenth century. Speaking of myself, I got so lost among the dense jungle of unknown sculptures and paintings that I couldn't appreciate the marvellous vintage furnitures and other pieces of interior decoration and arcitecture.

Art illiterates like me will only get confused after a point as the place needs major renovation. All the paintings must be properly labelled and at least half of them need chemical restoration. The marble statuettes should also be identified and placed in order. The halls need satisfactory lighting if you want to appreciate some priceless artwork kept casually in a dark corner. Also it would be nicer if they can arrange for guides who know the family history.

But thats Calcutta again. Riches left casually among rags without pretention, waiting for the eyes to come forward and appreciate by themselves.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Film Review

Me and C went to see the film only because I kinda liked the 1951 original classic film of which this is a remake. You can read the excerpt here. Basically its about a humanoid alien and a giant robot who lands on NYC with a sinister message about the destruction of the human race.

We were utterly disappointed by the stupidity of this film. Intelligent sci-fi is the last thing I expect from mainstream Hollywood these days and this pathetic excuse of a film is no exception. The 1951 version of this film was at least, original. Here we are loaded with stupid dialogues, utterly predictable plot twists and the regular dose of how self-destructive humans have superior family values than technologically advanced alien civilizations. And we have morals, people... that if you throw litter in the park and screw the environment a giant alien ball will come from the sky to kick your ass.

Keanu Reeves is so good at playing aliens, androids or the glum depressed eccentric. Here his Klaatu is very apt. Jennifer Connelly is a good versatile actress who deserves better lines and better roles. But what I understand is that she has to star in these movies once in a while to pay the bills. Jaden Smith and Kathy Bates are good as the cute kid and the tough defense minister respectively, but good performances only work well with good script, which sadly is missing. Even Gort, the giant robot, is so badly used in the film. The 1951 version at least had Gort as a very interesting element of the story.

So, I think I'll go back and watch the black-and-white original again.

Tag time again...

This tag, kinda self-revelations type, is picked up from Amazing Greys' blog. Since I cannot seem to write anything else, lets see what I can do with this.

1. What does your user name mean?

Um... kinda meaningless actually. An autist who makes noise... makes no sense.

2. Elaborate on your user photo.

Don't have one.

3. How many comments do you have?

Why don't you count yourself! Ask better questions, sucker.

4. What's your current relationship status?

Cared for. :)

5. What exactly are you wearing right now?

boxers and an old yellow shirt. Yeah I know, enough to start a trend.

6. What is your current problem?

Career... or the lack of it.

7. What do you love most?

Being a lazy bum.

8. What makes you most happy?

I don't know... certain phone calls, good food, good music, old friends dropping by...

9. Are you musically inclined?

Sort of, yes.

10. What would you do if you woke up one morning and found out you were on cocaine?

wtf?

11. If you could go back in time, and change something, what would it be?

If I really want to, many things. But I guess I'm not the regretting type.

12. If you MUST be an animal for ONE day, what would you be?

Don't know. I think I'm animal enough.

13. Ever have a near death experience?

Yeah.

14. Name an obvious quality you have?

Oooh... I can do the SpongeBob voice, yay! thanks for asking!!

15. What's the name of the song that's stuck in your head right now?

Autumnsong: Manic Street Preachers

16. Are you happy today?

Not overwhelmingly. But not sad either.

17. Who will cut and paste this to first?

wh.. what?

18. Name someone with the same birthday as you:

Halle Berry, Steve Martin, Danielle Steel - I didn't know that!! (http://www.famousbirthdays.com)

19. Do you have a secret crush on someone?

Not really.

20. Do you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen sink?

a. I don't use a 'sink'.

b. I don't dispose garbage. I just thow 'em out.

21. Have you ever been in a fight?

Oh, yes yes. These days it's more of the verbal kind. I left my hand-to-hand days behind ;)

22. Have you ever sang in front of a large audience?

Yes, a few times.

23. What's the first thing you notice about the OPPOSITE sex:

Now this is a trick question, ain't it? I'm not falling for it.

24. Whats your biggest mistake?

I don't know. I'm kinda mistake-prone!

25. Say something totally random about you?

I love PeterScot. 

26. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?

Good that you asked. Sometimes I feel like I'm a celeb myself.

27. Are you comfortable with your height?

Oh yeah... except for the fact that most beds don't contain me and I hit my head at every low doorstep.

28. What is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you?

Sang "Don't Leave Home" on a very special night when I was at my lowest.

29. What is your favorite smell?

New books, new shoes, old buildings...

30. What's something that really annoys you?

I'm quite easily irritable actually. I just swallow it in most of the times.

31. What's something you really like?

Think I said it before.

32. Do you give random hugs and kisses?

Yes yes... :) Not to random people though.

33. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?

Well... since my job comprises of only night shifts, this question is kinda pointless.

34. Have you ever been rushed to the emergency room?

Yes, once.

Yeah, there ya go... 

Long before my blog became a sanitarium of some ill-treated ideas and deformed thoughts, there was a time I used to keep a diary... handwritten, often interrupted by awkward rhymes or even offensive cartoons, and usually unfinished. In my schoolboy times I used to feel the urge to write a journal on each New Year's Day... a fleeting obsession that would usually die out by the month of May or June. I forcefully continued writing upto August and the rest of the pages were mostly either blank or maybe had some rare nonsense verses.

I don't know why I used code languages for some entries, because no one was interested to read my journal. I really had no dire secrets to keep. Later when I tried to visit those pages again, I could not decipher most of them. I simply have no idea what they were all about... love, sexuality, family secrets -- I don't know. I really cannot think of any possible information my possession of which would call for such level of secrecy.

Sometimes if I flip through those blank pages of each year's last few months, I come across one or two rare full-length entries of really special memories and I relish reading my first reactions to them. And I thank myself for starting to write in the first place; if it hadn't for all those boring initial everyday entries that each January ensued there wouldn't be this post which, practically, made the year.

But all those are gone now. Most of my journals got lost during the course of moving the furniture. :)

Graffiti

Love is an island
Love is the streets
Love is the clueless hissing sound
You hear when you turn on the heat.
Love is the enemy
Love is the secret code
Love is the shame that keeps you quiet
When your conscience explodes.
Love is the letter
Love is the touch
Love is the bird that sits upon
The high cross of the church.
Love is the smoke
Love is the sigh
Love is the smile with tears in
The corner of your eye.
Love is a footprint
Love is wet sand
Love is a sing-along
By but an imaginary band.
Love is insane
Love is light,
Love is as blind as the man
Who says love is life.
Love is the buzz
Love is rain,
Love is the blues you play
Again and again and again.
Love is the chains
Love is the door
Love is what keeps you rise
When you crumble to the floor.

Love is peace
Love is pain,
Love is the hope
To see you once again.
Love is a century
Love is a sea.
Love is you
And love is me.

"You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness...and I won't kill you because you're just too much fun."

Yes, that was a long title for this post.

But you see, the late Heath Ledger is the Joker. And if I want to write down all the words he spoke in The Dark Knight in this post, don't hate me. Because every single one of his maniacal monologues are masterpieces... the situations and the manner he spoke them. His facial expressions, his licking his lips, his crazy laughters, his smeared and disheveled make-up, his several self-contradictory explanations about his scars ... these are all the things (along with a few others) that make this film one of my absolute favourites.

I own and read 64 Batman graphic novels as e-books. That should give you an idea how much excited I was about this film. But I won't write a critical review of this film because I can't help being too partial about this. Those of you aantels who still won't consider superhero flicks as serious movies, you can spend your pathetic lives with your Bergman or Tarkovsky. But let me tell you, Christopher Nolan is the man. Nobody else would have captured the essence of the Batman character so perfectly. Christian Bale has already proved himself in Batman Begins to be the perfect choice for the character. Here he successfully matures into the role of the flying rodent, simultaneously unleashing new character aspects of the Bruce Wayne persona too (which by the way, is much helped by the intelligently-written Rachel Dawes character, played with sheer excellence by Maggie Gyllenhaal, much better an actress than Katie Cru-- I mean, Holmes.)



What's really fascinating about the film is that the Nolan brothers wrote some really intense and intelligent Batman and Joker mano-a-mano sequences. It's been established in the comic books that their relationship is a very special one. I'd recommend reading at least two Batman graphic novels to get the idea... one is Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke" and the other is Sam Keith's "Secrets". In this film the writers swiftly takes the story into that intimate level, and we hear the Joker saying - "I think you and I are destined to do this forever." True enough, the Joker mocks everything Batman stands for. He mocks his sense of morals, his incorruptible motivation, his logic, his method of dealing with criminals - everything. He laughs when Batman physically hurts him, as he knows that Batman never kills. He knows that Batman doesn't have an antidote to what the Joker stands for. So he says - "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." And when Batman questions the Joker's mental balance, he points out that the question is coming from a man who dresses up like a bat to become a vigilante. He knows that they are both so-called 'freaks'... only with the opposite mindsets. So he says - "You complete me."

A very interesting character in the comic books is Harvey Dent / 'Two-Face'. Some of the greatest Batman stories extensively featured Dent's dual personality and his manner of relying on his coin in case of decisions. To be frank I'm a little disappointed with his role in the film. Aaron Eckhardt played the Dent character quite successfully, but the screen time featuring 'Two-Face' is very limited and they killed off the character in the end. I hope they come up with something really interesting in the third film as there are really very few Batman villains (like Two-Face or Ra's al-Ghul) to match the charisma of the Joker and I don't think they'll go as far as to cast another actor to play the Joker.

The Dark Knight has everything I could ever ask for when I sit to watch a movie. And this time I don't want to share why. I take this film too personally, too for my own. If you want a more organized review, check out Amazing Greys' post about this. Meanwhile, let me book tickets at Fame this weekend again :)

Rich sounds, mature production.

Coldplay: Viva la Vida (2008) A Review

Viva la Vida is the latest offering from a band which took a significant part in making alternative rock music accessible to much wider audience, thereby arguably making it more commercialized. Coldplay has enjoyed significant chart success with their previous effort X&Y (2005), but in a fashion it had just followed the musical style and sound of their seminal work A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). But this time the band decided to finally carry out experimentations. And in order to do so, the masterstroke they played is hiring Mr. Brian Eno as the producer.

Brian Eno is called the father of 'ambient music'... emphasizing more on layered atmospheric sounds with diverse instrumental arrangements rather than individual notes to create the necessary mood for each song. I would like to remind you that U2's resurgence in the '90s was also heavily due to production works of Eno. In this album, Eno creates many different sound effects by incorporating elements such as electronica, rich orchestral arrangement, layered ringing guitars, atmospheric synth effects... and thus creating moods never experienced before from Coldplay. Electronica musician Jon Hopkins collaborates on two tracks of this album... starting with "Life in Technicolor" and ending with the hidden track "The Escapist". Rich orchestral arrangements, with excellent compositions on group violins can be heard in songs like the ethereal "Viva la vida", the optimistic "Reign of love" or the oblique "Yes"... which leads to the hidden track "Chinese Sleep Chant", a frenzied upbeat distorted guitar-driven squealing. Buckland's guitars are one of the most prominent elements of the album. He sounds like a successful follower of guitarists like The Edge, creating rich and moody tones and varied riffs, taking the songs to completeness but never individually comes to the forefront. Berryman's bass is also a very important feature... with frequent high notes and harmonic scales. Martin's piano is as usual very soothing, but featured less than the previous album.

Chris Martin himself stated prior to the release of the album that the band was on the verge of a break-up during the songwriting and recording process. The conflict, the difference in opinions must have affected him, resulting in some of the most obscure lyrics he ever wrote. In "42" he softly starts with a piano and sings - "Those who are dead are not dead/ They're just living in my head/ And since I fell for that spell/ I am living there as well..." His desperation is evident in many of the songs, most of the times mellow obscurity, but he is more optimistic this time. He sings "I don’t want a cycle of recycled revenge/ I don’t want to follow death and all of his friends." before finishing the album with the hidden track "The Escapist" with these lines "And in the end we lie awake/ And we dream and we'll make an escape". His vocals explore new directions this time, using his range effectively sometimes in clear contrasts. He features his rare baritone in "Yes" before breaking into "Chinese Sleep Chant" which is entirely sung on his angelic falsetto.

Viva la Vida fortunately is not a singles-driven album. It is more like a concept album which should be experienced as a whole. It does not have the brilliant tunes and freshness as their 2002 release A Rush of Blood to the Head but as an album it is far more mature than all of their previous releases, not only in terms of sound but also musical structure, lyrics, production. Personally it should turn into my favorite album by them. Its already in high rotation in my music player. Hopefully the band will continue in this direction, alternative rock at its best.

Coldplay: Chris Martin - vocals, guitar, piano ; Jonny Buckland - lead guitars ; Guy Berryman - bass, synth, vocals ; Will Champion - drums, vocals

Viva la Vida (2008) produced by Brian Eno. ● Life in Technicolor ● Cemeteries in London ● Lost ● 42 ● Lovers in Japan + Reign of love (hidden track) ● Yes + Chinese Sleep Chant (hidden track) ● Viva la vida ● Violet Hill ● Strawberry Swing ● Death and all his friends + The Escapist (hidden track)

In These Chains

And I'm walking on these trapeze wires
Up and down they go,
Following her light footsteps
As they fade but all I know
I'll never ever lose my trail
Or will need a second chance
Somehow it's bred into me
Oh, like I'm in a trance.
Ah you... hold me in these chains...
Open wide unsatisfied close inside again.

Oh you, to yourself in the corner
Of a bright-light haute hotel,
Handing out free invitations
But you know they're lost in the mail.
And me, watching you from a distance
Sipping whiskey from my glass
As you smile at those summer boys
But you know that they won't last.
Ah you... hold me in these chains...
Open wide unsatisfied close inside again.

A riot broke out in the alley,
And the leader was not too old,
They wore black ribbons and protested
Against the free market of soul.
And you said you never knew these men
But you knew what they're for.
And then you said "Don't you think
We shouldn't start another war?"
Ah you... hold me in these chains...
Open wide unsatisfied close inside again.

Ah you, sipping soda as you read
Poetry about love unsatisfied,
You defend the lack of emotions
Of the middle-aged poet who died.
And then, smiling gracefully
You said, "What do you think of love?
Does it still crawl under your feet?"
Said I - "I can never have enough."
Ah you... hold me in these chains...
Open wide unsatisfied close inside again.

And I walk on these trapeze wires
Up and down they go,
I'll now jump over the barricades
I'll read Tom Paine when I'm old.
And she, slow dancing in these dizzy lights
As the saxophone bares her soul,
Somewhere in her mind
She knows she can't let it go.
Ah you... hold me in these chains...
Open wide unsatisfied close inside again.

[This nonsense poetry was kinda inspired by the picture you see above. I took the picture yesterday and the lady in it said it looks very "60's-ish''... so that kinda gave me ideas about 60's socialite enigmatic characters. The characters described in the poem have no resemblance with the persons in front of and behind the camera ;)]

Excuse

Loathing your profession is a very easy thing to do, especially when it's not something creative. It is part of the expressions that proclaim "See, I'm not an workaholic... I am cultured, so you better respect my opinions on poetry, cinema, sports etc". Your open display of disliking your job attributes you public sympathy, makes your professional failure seem only twist of fate. Many of us use this tactic to our benefit, to make us look... well... "cool" maybe. Let's see how we posers and pseudo-intellectuals blame our work.

Scenario 1 : You claim you are a music aficionado. But when your musician friend wants to take you to a classicial music concert and you know yourself that you'll only be bored to death, you say - "Can't. I've got meeting/night shift/over time. Damn I hate my job!"

Scenario 2 : You come back from work in the evening and after a while you find your partner watching History Channel when you want to watch some sleazy show at AXN. You say - "Give me the fucking remote. Saradin khatni'r por esob bhalo lage na."

Scenario 3 : Your colleague, a hard-working dedicated fellow (to make things worse let's assume he's from Bangalore and you are a Bengali) has recently got promotion and you got a thrashing from your boss. You act so vindicated that the outsiders say - "Caught in the wrong job. Heard he writes poetry you know. Cultured fellow. How can he survive here?"

In plain words, you put your job as an excuse for your lack of commitment and your failures. I find myself slowly giving in to similar conditions. I don't read books too much anymore, listen to less music, not try to learn stuff. All I got as an answer that I hate my job. I hope that'll excuse me.

My workplace has recently introduced a fingerprint identification system for attendance of employees to replace the register books where you always take the pleasure of your signature forgery skills.

I work at a not-so-big nursing home. And mine is but only a part-time job - no offer letters, no fixed salary, no paid leaves, no medical allowances. My payment only depends on how many hours I'd work in a particular month [In my worst mood I often find an uncanny similarity between my job and prostitution because of this per-hour basis of payment]. So suddenly I find myself in the same league as those official big-salary employees when I pressed my thumb at that faintly glowing quadrangular panel last night when I entered the building for my night shift. The computer screen nearby displayed that mysterious unique motif of my thumb identity and proudly declared - "Identified: (my name) . 20:08 - IN" and the speaker let out a satisfactory beep. Me, equally satisfied, went inside and found a colleague of mine sitting in the TV room, attentively listening to the pre-match analysis of the IPL game.

"This new fingerprint system is pretty cool, huh?" I said to her.
She didn't take her eyes off the TV, and casually replied - "Dhus! Let's see how long it works. Ei to chhoto nursing home, tar abar eto dhong. Goru'r gari'r headlight!"

I found that a bit too sarcastic. I was kinda feeling good after the nice little experience... its sophestication, its absolute accuracy. For some unknown reason it really felt like I'm working for a proper company. But now, her sense of sarcasm got into my mind too. Heh, I came up with a better idiom - "Dhuti'r daan pocket!" and even told the Assistant Manager, who was sitting outside, that "Ekhane esob lagiyechhen..." and used the idiom again. He let out a thin smile - "Don't be so pessimistic. Besides, it's nothing complex." I smiled back and went to work.

In the morning I rubbed my thumb on my way out, mildly excited about the forthcoming experience of pressing against the panel again and whistled my way to the main gate station into the attendance section. But...

The soft panel light isn't glowing this time.

I looked around, nobody was in sight. Then hesitantly I pressed my thumb against it anyway. Nothing happened. The screen remained the same. I pressed it again, hard. Nope, nothing. I pressed it again, this time keeping the pressure for 5-6 seconds. Nah, the screen still shows the plain blue background.

This is irritating. I went to the reception and told the woman about it. She called out to someone who's supposed to be the boss of computers and techno-gizmo stuff in this place. The guy came and the receptionist told him, with an "I-told-you-so" look - "Anjan, the thing isn't working. See? Sir cannot get out."

This Anjan guy shot an annoyed look at me and said "Uff... what did you do? I don't know what you pressed. Here, Sir, come with me." He led me to the section only to find out that the light isnt glowing. Then he messed around for some time with it. Pressing this and that... and then finally said - "Machine-ta hang kore gechhe. Wait, I'll restart it from the server." I raised my two hands, with sarcasm flooding my veins, and said "Oh that's just great!"

He came back after a few minutes. The glow is back. "Now press there Sir." And I obeyed sincerely. The same (at least I hope so) motif of my thumb impression filled the screen and the speaker beeped and the letters flashed - "Identified: (my name) . 08:19 - IN".
"What the fuck is this?" I said, annoyed, "What do you mean by 'IN'? It's supposed to say 'OUT'. Isn't it?" The guy fell silent for a while and then said - "Hmm, tai to. Wait, it's because I restarted the computer."
I said coolly, "Then how am I going to show how many hours I worked for? It doesn't have a departure record for me. And I guess for this last night's all attendance records are erased. That's why it says 'IN'."
The guy looked at me - "Why? Didn't you sign the register last night?"
That got me pissed. "Maane? If I'm to give thumb impression here why the heck should I sign also?"
He shook his head. "Na na, sign to kortei hobe. Ok, Sir, go now and sign it there."

So I went inside, took out the register book from the office and carefully designed my initials against the row of 13 along my name. And my phone rang. This was another colleague who's supposed to work this morning here... "Oi listen" he says "I'm gonna be late, tui berobar somoy amar soi-ta kore dis please"... and I said yeah, of course.

Take Me In

What have I done, what have I done?
When the undertaker blows his scornful horn
And the night breaks into a day
Coming out like a motorcade of silent victory
And when you still remain an unwound mystery
Take me in.

The nights, they're filled with dreams
Of unision and self-esteem
But you're beautiful when I say
That grapes of wrath are nothing but few
Droplets of shadows to be dissolved in you
And still I couldn't have been
Unless you take me in.

Disgrace, confessions and you still loved the child.
While absorbing the tears with eyes open wide
Across my brass bed I see my lady lay...
And I hold but a few broken strings
Of a silent guitar and the lady sings
Of reality, dreams and things in between,
Of whispers unheard and colours unseen
While she takes me in.

What have I done, what have I done?
I've been the one and we've been one.
Lights fly and colors spin...
Take me in.

The Masters Are Back.

REM : Accelerate (2008) A Review

My favorite band has released their latest album this month.

I said those words with the most indifference I can master. But in reality, I know how much I had anticipated it. With the same anticipation I had went out and bought their previous album Around the Sun (2004) when it came out only to find it disappointing, lacking any inspiration and equally hated by the critics and fans alike. I know that much like them I also sighed and concluded maybe that was the end.

REM defined alternative rock. Period. It's been twenty-five years since four young college kids adorned the David Letterman show with mumbling vocals, jangling guitars, melodic bass and smart drumbeats... singing Radio Free Europe and a "yet untitled" song (to be later named So Central Rain). Their extremely original sound, with its minimalistic approach didn't go unnoticed. After that they spawned pioneer albums, unforgettable tunes but most importantly, a sound that would be copied and followed by numerous musicians, but matched in terms of excellence only by few.

Accelerate came out at a time of social and political confusion. Stipe's lyrics is heavily influenced by today's turmoils and disappointments. But in most cases, they are not pessimistic. They never were when Stipe held the pen. In the past, he had asked us to hold on when everybody hurts (Everybody Hurts). He wanted a chance, a second chance, a third chance and a fourth chance when his beloved didn't care for him (Strange Currencies). He happily agreed to take the rain if that's the only thing fate had to offer him (I'll Take the Rain). There were lightning storms, tidal waves, avalanches... but he was never afraid (Imitation of Life). In this album, Stipe speaks of doomsday like never before. He's angry and he's pushed. "The verdict is dire, the country's in ruins." Even confused - "What put me here? Nothing to hold on to, nowhere to brake." And sometimes, delirious - "Tell me how is prison? Have they taught you how to listen?" And broken - "So hold tight your babies and your guns." But Stipe hasn't given up. Not yet. He sings of hope amidst of destruction. "The world as we know, the high speed train / We'll pick it all up and start again." Of rebellion amidst government conspiracy - "We're the children of choir, we know what's going on."

REM introduced us to its electric hard rock masculinity way back in Monster (1994). After drummer Bill Berry left in 1997, the guys slowed down a bit, experimenting with different keyboard instruments, softer sounds. The experiment finally went wrong in Around the Sun. And now that REM sings of doomsday, angry and pushed to the wall, Peter Buck had no choice but to pick up his electric guitar and stomp hard on his distortion pedal. The album opens with a memorable distorted guitar riff that promises of the artistic freedom, the relief of a perfect return. Buck continues his row along with ex-Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin, effortlessly through every song... from the fast and crazy Horse to Water to the angry political Mr. Richards to the playful hipster I'm Gonna DJ. Mills is again in his multi-instrumentalist creative peak. And Stipe? Shouts protest to everyone who lost their faith after Around the Sun. Still the same magical and enigmatic as he ever was...

In recent interviews the band admitted that they were pushed up against the wall after the sales statistics of their previous album. The recording sessions of this album were difficult, strenuous, tense... and they just had to deliver their best. And the result? Well, Accelerate is never their best album... nowhere beside Documents (1987) or Automatic for the People (1992). Still, it is as fresh as it can be. Fresh when you wished it was but least expected it. Fresh when alternative rock is fast commercialized. Fresh when you long secretly craved for a new REM song to relate yourself to. And for me, it is hope. Inspiration for a comeback. As I want my REM to be. As Stipe himself wrote - Living Well is the Best Revenge.


REM : Michael Stipe - vocals, harmonica . Mike Mills - Bass, piano, oboe, guitar, background vocals, keyboards . Peter Buck - Lead guitars ... ... with Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin.

Accelerate (2008) produced by Jacknife Lee. *Living Well is the Best Revenge *Man Sized Wreath *Supernatural Superserious *Hollow Man *Houston *Accelerate *Until the Day is Done *Mr Richards *Sing for the Submarine *Horse to Water *I'm gonna DJ

The Killing Joke.

I used the tag from Antigone's post to pay tribute to my favorite comic-book hero.
Enjoy.

The musicplayer-shufflemode-youknowwhat tag.

And my fellow-blogger Macadamia has gracefully chosen to tag me in this. The only problem is there are so many questions... and I don't usually listen to that much songs at one stretch. And I can't stop and skip a song once it's started. So, I took a long break from my studies and completed this tag. Heh.

"If someone says 'Is this okay?', you say?"
Better than me - Hinder (now that makes sense :P)

"What would best describe your personality?"
Hole Hearted - Extreme (jeez, that makes sense too.)

"What do you like in a girl?"
Train in vain - The Clash (now this doesn't, finally.)

"How do you feel today?"
Worldwide Suicide - Pearl Jam (scary.)

"What is your life's purpose?"
Better Together - Jack Johnson (now this is so nice :))

"What is your motto?"
Ain't Talkin - Bob Dylan (nope.)

"What do your friends think of you?"
Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie (ah, do they?)

"What do you think of your parents?"
Plug in baby - Muse (oops :P)

"What do you think about very often?"
Tarantula - Smashing Pumpkins (I know I'm losing it)

"What is 2+2?"
I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton (It was so simple for the detectives... they just added 2+2 and found out who's the murderer. I knew I could never be a good criminal.)

"What do you think of your best friend?"
I Don't Care What You Call Me - David Ford (I'll always be there for you.)

"What do you think of the person you like?"
Inbetween Days - The Cure (I'm better than this.)

"What is your life story?"
Heavy - Collective Soul

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Something so strong - Crowded House (Aha! thats good.)

"What do you think when you see the person you like?"
Krafty - New Order (I said I'm losing it.)

"What do your parents think of you?"
Lost Cause - Beck (Nooooo... have I let you down so much? *sniff*)

"What will you dance to at your wedding?"
Bittersweet Me - REM

"What will they play at your funeral?"
Original Fire - Audioslave (yeah, I might be dead but the riot inside moves on)

"What is your biggest secret?"
One more matinee - Mark Knopfler

"What do you think of your friends?"
Roadhouse Blues - The Doors (Yeah!)

"What should you post this as?"
Nowhere Man - The Beatles (Indeed. Isn't he a bit like you and me?)

There it goes. Partly dumb, but partly very uncanny too :)

Prism

Dark corridors to past and I
Stand alone in the piercing heat
Mannequins laugh "Why so glum?"
My faltering glances towards my feet.
Realm of shadows and the river of blood
So get my boat ready for the flood.

Your shadow through rings of smoke
The question of me to stay
If every simple song I write could
Drive your deepest fears away...
Yet you convince me to stand tall
Within the holocaust of tainted walls.

What I really miss in my present-day life is lying 30-degree propped up in my bed and spend hours just casually reading a book. Reading habit is one thing that's absent in my life, though it did exist in some form once in the past mostly confined to science fiction and a few occasional classics [Oh by the way, if you do not consider quality works by Asimov, Clarke or PKD as serious literature, you are an enemy of mine]. Today professional commitment has taken away those idle hours for reading and therefore, my almost-nonexistent habit came to an end... And unlike many others, I cannot read in the jerky bus or the crowded train.

Strolling through the Kolkata Book Fair last Sunday not only made me long for those reading sessions, it also brought back some fondly-cherished memories. Even when I was a little kid and my city wasn't this polluted, my father used to take me to the Fair grounds at Maidan and carry me on his shoulders when it was overcrowded. It was a celebration. At the end of the day we came back with the newest Tintin or some Satyajit Ray novel for me and contemporary Bengali literature for my mother and nothing for my father himself. His celebration was not to read books himself, but to see us read. When you are in no position to enjoy art yourself, seeing your close ones embracing it almost gives you the same satisfaction.

C was there as a guide to modern literature for the uninitiated like me and after browsing through numerous titles she considered as literary classics, she wanted me to at least try out some Marquez or Yann Martel. I could easily fall for the temptation... but decided to postpone them till I find some time for myself. I rather convinced C to pick up something for herself and she opted for a Tom Holt novel that contained the cartoon of a frog at the beginning of each chapter.

She says she'll tell me the whole story when she finishes it. My pleasure of reading books now lies in the form of that.