My five favourite actresses of all time.

1.Meryl Streep:

A legend.She was,is and will always be stupendous.Versitility began with her..She is as breathtakingly beautiful as she is talented.Streep broke ground with Sophie's Choice and Kramer vs Kramer and since then,there has been no looking back.With 17 Oscar nominations,3 wins,as well as eight golden globes,need I say more?




2.Angelina Jolie:

To me she is simply SUPERWOMAN.!Beyond those bee-stung luscious lips,lies a powerhouse of talent,allure and oozing sex-appeal.What can this woman not do?She can jump off buildings,effortlessly kick ass(Tomb Raider) and can portray the anguish of a newly turned widow(A Mighty Heart) with equal ease.Angelina Jolie is Goddess Divine.!!


3.)Michelle Pfeiffer:

                                              
The most beautiful woman in the world,Pfeiffer is also an extremely gifted actress.She caught my attention in 'One Fine Day',where she plays a single mother juggling work with parenthood,a role portrayed simplistically yet powerfully..With a Golden Globe in her pocket for the 'Fabulous Baker Boys' and a BAFTA for 'Dangerous Liaisons' as well,this woman is grace,beauty and and power personified.'


4.) Helena Bonham Carter:

                                                  
She isn't what I would call a Hollywood stereotype,neither a conventional good-looker.However,Helena is only too well-known for the variety of roles she chooses,and the adeptness with which she performs each of them.Tim Burton's personal muse,Carter is wacky,feisty and brilliant.The characters that stay with you are the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland,the calm,devoted wife to the King,in 'The  King's Speech' and the the violent lunatic,Bellatrix Lestrange,in 'Harry Potter'.


5.)Audrey Hepburn:

                                                
In the colorless silhouette of the 50's and 60's era,the only name that makes an indelible impression on my mind is Audrey Hepburn.Within that petite,slender figure,is a diva,brimming with poise,talent and elegance.With roles like Holly Golightly in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and Princess Anne in 'Roman Holiday' and the famous flower-girl,Eliza Doolittle in 'My Fair Lady',Hepburn remains an immortalized veteran in Hollywood.

A mind beneath the mind:movie review:A Dangerous Method

When the two of my most favourite things,cinema and psychology,come together,I have to write about it."A Dangerous Method" is one such film.To top it all,it's a Cronenberg film,a veteran in the industry.

A star-studded cast,having the likes of Michael Fassbender,Keira Knightly,Viggo Mortensen,and Vincent Cassell,made it even more promising.

The film,set at eve of World War-I,traces the turbulent lives of young Swiss psychiatrist,Dr Carl Jung,the controversial neurologist Mr Sigmund Freud,and Sabina Spielrein,a troubled Russian psychoanalyst.

Through this film,Cronenberg shows us where the concept of psychoanalysis was born,and the rift it created between the two of the most brilliant minds in psychology,Freud and Jung.

Michael Fassbender,plays Dr Jung,who is initially a dedicated psychiatrist and a devoted husband who believes that certain undesirable urges should always be repressed,to maintain normalcy in relationships.However,his life is changed by the maladjusted Sabina,played by Keira Knightly,who,while under his treatment,tempts him to yield to these desires.This is further fueled by the bold advise of the unstable but brilliant psychoanalyst,Otto Gross,played by Vincent Cassell,who also becomes a patient under Jung.Gross influences Jung into thinking that expression of every single sexual desire is actually normal and healthy,thus leading Jung on to have a roaring affair with Spielrein.

Sabina eventually becomes Jung's mistress but there is certainly an intense emotional connect prominent in their relationship.

The best portions of the film are the ones involving Freud,played by Viggo Mortensen and Jung's conversations and debates on psychoanalysis.While Freud believes that sexual desires underlie every human action,Jung disagrees and his ideas seem more inclined towards mysticism and the occult.Hence what began in friendship,ends in bitter rivalry between the two.This is also further bolstered by Sabina's beliefs on psychoanalysis being more akin to Freud's and not Jung's.This leads to Jung's eventual nervous breakdown as he loses both his love and his companion.

Knightly's performance is a little over the top and the effort is quite conspicuous.There is an unnecessary amount of focus on the hysterical aspect of her character and her transition didn't seem very convincing.Fassbender is smooth as Dr Jung and expresses the turmoil and anguish beautifully when the rift occurs and when he loses Sabina.However,the stand out performance is of Mortensen,as Sigmund Freud,as he depicts the superiority he felt over Jung and the obstinacy regarding his beliefs definitively.

A Dangerous Method,to me,is a bold film that  is more educating than entertaining.Cronenberg highlights some of the most significant theories in the field of Psychology and how they were conceptualized.We see Freud interpreting Jung's dreams and speaking of the importance of our subconscious,.What started as coffee table conversations went on to become the milestone concepts of 'dream analysis' and the 'collective unconscious'.

After brilliant films like 'Eastern Promises' and 'A History of Violence',it may not Cronenberg's best work,but it definitely is a successful attempt at reliving the lives of some of history's most legendary figures.

That moment in cinema history..:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

If I'm thankful to the Oscars,it is for the astonishingly amazing cinematic work that I am privileged to watch because of them.One such movie,that didn't get its due despite being nominated,was Extremely loud and Incredibly close.

After his critically acclaimed films,The Hours and The Reader,Stephen Daldry has made yet another stupendous film about what it means to be human,to be flawed,and still be beautiful.
Daldry doesn't take chances as he takes in two Oscar winners into his film.Tom Hanks plays a small role as the father who meets his end due the September Eleven attacks.Though brief,his role is significant,as a father who teaches his son,all the essential and challenging lessons of life. Sandra Bullock assumes the role of the grieving mother,who struggles to build a relationship with her son,after their tragic loss.However,the film doubtlessly belongs to the young wonder,Thomas Horn,who floors us with his ingenuous acting abilities.Horn,in his depiction of a smart,meticulous boy,suffering from a borderline Sensory Perceptual Disorder,is spellbinding.This was a performance that went unnoticed by the Oscars.
Daldry's new venture,explores the complex yet genius psyche of young Oscar Schell,who fights long and hard to cope with his father's death,a figure he looked up to,and almost worshipped.
What amazes me is how Daldry captures Oskar's every flicker of emotion,as he tries to reach out to his father by means of a mysterious key.Another brief,but brilliant performance that is sure to blow you away is of Max Von Sydow.Where was he all this while?Why haven't I heard of his work before? His powerful portrayal of Oskar's mute and eccentric grandfather was definitely Oscar worthy.
Daldry like his previous works,succeeds in making another masterpiece,with a fabulous soundtrack by the legendary rock band,U2.It is a heart-rending film that will remind you to love your parents,because no matter what happens,they will always be the ones looking out for you.
 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is therefore,a movie that should definitely go down in cinema history.

The stuff that dreams are made of –the world of Christopher Nolan’s cinema.

Hollywood has had its share of legendary directors.However,very few have managed to delve into the deepest recesses of the human mind,like the genius work of Christopher Nolan.Rarely have we had movie makers challenge their audience..For Christopher Nolan,cinema isn’t only synonymous to  entertainment.It is a medium through which he uniquely unfolds  the complex layers of the human mind

.The landscape of the mind is compellingly presented by Nolan in each of his films ,two of which are my personal favourites.

Nolan’s most recent work,the Inception is a rare film about the parallel world of human dreams .,In his most challenging work yet,he gives us an insight into how our subconscious is like a safehouse from where or into which others can steal or plant ideas.Our protagonist, Cobb,played by DiCaprio, trains a talented young architect, Ariadne(Ellen Page) to design the landscapes of the dream world.Inside the dream,as they walk on the streets of Paris,Ariadne’s mind turns the city upside down,illustrating the freedom our dreams have to create impossibilities.Besides the creative illustrations of a world without gravity,and human figures as the mind’s projections,the film has an emotional backdrop as well.Nolan reminds his audience that even a clever extractor like Cobb has emotional baggage,his wife,Mal(Marion Cotillard).Her character,underlaid with grey shades,is used to show the obstructions ,memories of Cobb that barricade the smooth flow of the Inception.This reflects how even in our free world of dreams,we often become prisoners of our emotions and succumb to our imperfect,dark side.This,we also see in how Cobb uses Fischer’s troubled relationship with his father to plant the desired idea(splitting his father’s empire) into his head.Like all his films,Nolan challenges his audience,and doesn’t merely entertain.In the final shot of the film,the audience is left guessing whether Cobb’s dream had indeed ended...or whether the whole story was just a manifestation of Cobb’s dream.Through this film,Nolan presents us with a pastige of brilliant shots,reflecting the wide and limitless tapestry of the human mind.From the beginning shot of Cobb lying on sea waves,to his locked building of unpleasant memories,Nolan conveys to us the infinite dimensions of our dream world...and how.!

An earlier venture and arguably his best work is ,The Prestige. Magic is the backdrop against which the protagonists play out their human drama. In this film,Nolan plays with the gaps in the human mind to show how “we choose to be fooled”.,He crafts a story about vicious rivalry between two magicians,which leads to a dangerous life and death eventuality.The audience is asked to ‘watch closely’ as the director stealthily reveals the dark sides of the protagonists.The fim shows the depths of depravity an obsessed mind can go to,to outwit the competitor.Nolan once again challenges his audience to find meaning in his protagonists’ unsaid actions.We wait with bated breath  to find out what Tesla’s magic machine can do for Angier’s breakthrough.We wait desperately to know what is the next trick Bordan(Christian Bale) will play on Angier(Hugh Jackman).Their fierce battle remains within the foundation of their love lives.The fight begins with Angier’s mind  doubting  Bordan as the cause of his wife’s death.Nolan never fails to knit his story together without an emotional context.However,more importantly,it is all ultimately about the mind game.Success only lies on your ability to predict your opponent’s next move,and use his weakness against him.Nolan successfully illustrates how our minds will always be prisoners of illusion,jealousy and emotions in one of his best works,The Prestige.

Although Christopher Nolan’s films require keen observation and an ability to see beyond the obvious,they are never low on entertainment quotient.If you are a true film buff and don’t mind using your grey cells a little more than usual,go ahead and soak yourself in the limitless genius of Christopher Nolan.

Turning a new leaf...Film Review:We Bought A Zoo.

I've been asking myself a question.Do all films have to have high voltage drama or action for them to succeed?What is wrong with a feel-good film? I haven't seen any except in the genre of romantic comedies.Even so,these films most often don't receive any accolades..One such film,that touched the very core of my heart strings,was We bought a Zoo..
In addition to the immense love I have for movies having lions and tigers and all sorts of animals,this one really clicks for me..Ofcourse,I cannot ignore the exceedingly handsome cast of Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.But for a change,the director chooses to focus on their characters rather than their clothes.We see a softer,a more humane side to Matt Damon,who never disappoints as the widowed,grief-stricken father,Benjamin Mee, with two children.
.Mourning the loss of his wife,he decides he needs to rejuvenate himself and his childrens' lives.He does so by buying a broken down zoo,struggling for a revamp.It is here that he meets the beautiful but tough,sub-dued zoo-keeper,Kelly,played by the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson.For a change,I was relieved to see Johansson,wearing khaki pants instead of showing cleavage..Crowe skillfully avoids an over the top,unnecessary romantic angle,but blends it subtly into the film,right at the end.
The scenes depicting Benjamin's relationship with the zoo animals,especially Spar,the dying tiger and Buster,the Grisly bear,are some of the moving highlights of the film.
Cameron Crowe's well-known work as seen in Jerry McGuire and Almost Famous continues in this film.He beautifully portrays the pain of Benjamin's disturbed teenage son,Dylan,through his paintings,his gradual change,and his blossoming love with Lily,played by Elle Fanning.However,the performance that stays with you is of seven year old Rosie,played by the adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones.She is definitely the heart of the film.
Accompanied by melodic music by Jonsi,'We bought A Zoo' is an emotional journey of a man who struggles to find himself after his wife's death..Therefore one can assume there will be some crying,However,that doesn't make this film a sad story.Infact,it's a story that teaches you to to remember,cherish your past,but also tells you that you have to let go,because life,however tumultuous it may be,always goes on.

I miss Mass Comm..:(

My second year was burdening enough with two papers for each of my majors..On top of that I had mass communication.To add to the misery,I had three teachers for it,and what was worse,they were all Literature teachers.Every literature student had warned me that they were known to be merciless,exceedingly opinionated and obnoxiously miserly when it came to giving marks.The icing on the cake was there was no syllabus.For a boring and completely uncreative student like me,who likes concrete,predictable things,it was basically hell.
The eve of my mass comm paper,was therefore,very obviously,alarmingly stressful.Both terms,I went berserk.I gave my papers hoping my teachers had liked my face enough to give me passing marks.
           However,after all these months,when I look back,I find myself looking at a completely different picture.Looking back,I remember how i got a chance to talk about all my favourite things.One of my sub topics was cinema,my most favourite thing ever.I remember how i got to give a demo on writing movie reviews,study about the history of this art,and more intriguingly,learn the very craft of this unique art.
      I also now realise now that I met my role model,Jihasa miss,in these classes.She is the woman i want to grow up to become.She also motivated me to write,appreciated my amateur efforts and encouraged me when i felt lost.She also very often spoke of things that our generation loves..Sitcoms..music..fashion magazines..we made us think,challenged our views and encouraged discussions and debates.We were free to express our opinions..Talk about covers,judge models,cover art,the works,Now that i wonder,where else would i get such freedom of expression?
Mrs Kanoriya,let us analyse advertisements,tear them to shreds,criticize,be cynical,judge biasedly,and most importantly,carry these views up to our answer sheets..It makes me realise,do i really need a syllabus all the time?Didn't I thoroughly enjoy myself in those classes? I did,I most certainly did.Hence,now I know and realise fully,how much I will miss my mass comm classes.They did a lot to show me who I am.I will always be grateful to those wonderful teachers of mine.:)

Book review:The Hunger Games

let the hunger games begin..and may the odds be ever in your favour..
After months of being smothered with the candy love story of twilight,I finally get to experience a breath of fresh air..the story I admit,may not be everybody's cup of tea..- a somewhat violent,brutal,post apocalyptic take on the world through the eyes of a teenager? quite the antithesis of our sugar romance of twilight..unlike the Meyer franchise,the hunger games needn't have vampires to depict brutality..instead it teaches us how even a bunch of innocent human teenagers can kill for survival..when the times comes.
Our hero here is Katniss Everdeen,a tough 16 year old girl who struggles.to make ends meet for her,sister Prim and her mother,in a world ruled by the dictatorship of the Capitol city,Katniss finds herself thrown into the uncertainty of death as a volunteer tribute in the tyrannical hunger games..she is joined by Peeta Mellark.a stranger.from her past.As they go on to play the game of survival to fight to the death..only one victor,is to remain.
.Collins keeps us on the edge regarding the rocky relationship between these two..till we finally realise Peeta is our Edward Cullen..well..somewhat..
Katniss's best friend,Gale hardly features in this edition,but we expect a lot of emotional conflict from her regarding these two men in the sequel.
Suzanne Collins crafts an intriguing story of survival and violence in this masterpiece of a book..she also shares a few important lessons of life,loyalty,trust and most importantly,love..
This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted.However,at the same time,it's a book that will blow you away!
 move over..twilight!