Movies Seen Recently - Batman: Under the Red Hood, Peyote to LSD, Nostradamus Decoded, How to Train your Dragon, Fracture, Batman & Mr Freeze

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Shades of maturity throughout the film. Excellent opening credits too. Like a few other DC universe films I've seen, this one also includes ensemble villains, which is kind of a plus here. The joker is modeled more after the the new Heath Ledger character, rather than any of the previous ones, another plus. Though his role is central to the story, most of the events revolve around Red Hood and Black Mask. 

However, strong censorship and over the top action distract from these fine elements.

Peyote to LSD: A Psychedelic Odyssey (2008)

Extremely detailed historical documentary on the spread of popularity of LSD, with particular focus on the anthropological significance of Peyote among Native American tribes, and the work of Richard Evans Schultes.

Nostradamus Decoded (2009)

Discovery Channel documentary that doesn't really offer anything new, apart from evidence of a few coincidences that can be seen in different perspectives.

How to Train your Dragon (2010)

Like most DreamWorks films, not exactly cinematic excellence, but fun. Much better in every respect than some of their other recent films. Great in a conventional way. Would look excellent on a large screen.

Fracture (2007)

It seems like Anthony Hopkins alternates between extreme greatness and extreme creepiness in each film role he takes up. This film is sort of conventional. The performances are good, but the narrative has gaps, and the story is more or less predictable.

Kind of like The Lincoln Lawyer, but with better lighting. While The Lincoln Lawyer resembled Shaft, the videography in Fracture gives it a classy look. That and the performances keep you interested.

Batman & Mr Freeze: SubZero (1998)

A follow-on to the animated series, and what seems like one very long episode of the series. We've come to expect more.

Movies Seen Recently - Batman: Under the Red Hood, Peyote to LSD, Nostradamus Decoded, How to Train your Dragon, Fracture, Batman & Mr Freeze

Friday Links 6

Film


The Glasses picture quiz - http://www.empireonline.com/features/movie-glasses-picture-quiz/


Humour


All round condemnation of terror attacks kills one terrorist - http://www.fakingnews.com/2011/09/all-round-condemnation-of-terror-attacks-kills-one-terrorist/


Jobless for 10 years, JNU student insists US imperialism his biggest concern - http://www.fakingnews.com/2011/09/jobless-for-10-years-jnu-student-insists-us-imperialism-his-biggest-concern/

Animals


Poaching and Kaziranga - http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/Number-One-With-a-Bullet.html?page=all


General


Rickshaw pullers: Delhi vs Colorado - http://ourdelhistruggle.com/2011/09/26/boulder-rickshaw/


Indian woman spends 16 months in Antarctica - http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/true-life/16-months-in-antarctica?



Women in India not allowed to work as make-up artists - http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/art-culture/make-up-chauvinism



Photography


Judging photography competitions - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2011/09/26/i-dont-understand-photography-competition-judging/


Landscape photography cheats - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/2011/09/28/lighting-a-landscape-photograph-pre-photoshop/


Demographics


Asia and the flight from marriage - http://www.economist.com/node/21526329


Grammar


When you should and shouldn't use hyphens - http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/369b4a34-bfc5-4e10-9ef8-444f3f7974dc.aspx

Friday Links 6

Movies Seen Recently - Sucker Punch, Marijuana Inc., The Real Face of Jesus, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Sucker Punch (2011)

Difficult to critique this film. It's repetitive yet not entirely boring. 

A story within a story within a story. One of the best opening sequences ever. Excellent music. A good set-up for the rest of the film, which meanders along, till that first breathtaking action sequence.

By the time the second one comes along, you know what to expect, you recognise the narrative pattern, and you're waiting too see how it's going to end, rather than wait through the story itself. Only a die hard action buff would really stay focused from this mid point in the film.

Not that the action sequences are second rate. They are among the best I've ever seen. But there's only so much slick action you can take, and since it's all imagination, there's not much emotional attachment to it anyhow.

Which ultimately brings the film down, until the very end. Excellent music, action, and special effects. Overall, an average watch.

Marijuana Inc: Inside America's Pot Industry (2009)

A multi perspective documentary on the prevalence of marijuana in the US. Timepass.

The Real Face of Jesus (2010)

A History Channel documentary on the shroud of Turin. Full of unexplored gaps and a little too much drama. I learnt nothing new.

A good introduction for someone new to the topic, perhaps.

Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden? (2008)

From Morgan Spurlock, the same guy who gave us Super Size Me, this is a very entertaining documentary.

Spurlock travels to a number of countries with majority Muslim populations, and like the host of a travel show, points out interesting things around him. He also interviews people on the streets, his most common question being where he can find Osama.

What he learns is that most people in these countries are just like him, and there are larger problems to worry about than Osama, as finding him won't change anything.

This documentary isn't one of those informative intelligent ones. It's documentary making with an agenda. Of course, what documentary isn't? You don't really learn anything new, and are simply presented with a conclusion you knew all along.

But it's made well, the host is likable; the music, graphics & editing keep you engrossed in what's happening, and it's always nice to see normal people talk about something you're interested in, offering varying perspectives.

Movies Seen Recently - Sucker Punch, Marijuana Inc., The Real Face of Jesus, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Friday Links 5

Humour

Shaving truths - http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/09/15/funny-graphs-ill-drown-in-this/

Evolution of the Hipster. How many do you know? - http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/4/2010/10/1c953a1c422b9e6eb4d05117716b0ea2/original.jpg

What you think of after watching a romantic movie - http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/09/20/funny-graphs-ill-never-have-your-quirky-love-story/

Animals

Wildlife advocate proposes poisoning rhino horns to protect them from poachers - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/09/15/return-toxic-avenger-rhino-advocate-poisoning-horns-poachers/

Ant-lions have lunar clocks - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/a-blog-around-the-clock/2011/09/19/the-mighty-ant-lion/

Business

New company offers 'corporate libraries' - http://www.kwench.in/kwench/newHome.do

General

Last surviving witness of Abraham Lincoln's assassination appearing on a 1956 US game show - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_iq5yzJ-Dk

Dancing JCBs! - http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Dancing-Diggers-show-to-be-held-this-week-during-Infra-Oman-event

Journalism

Check out this free online Science Journalism course - http://www.wfsj.org/course/en/

Science

Robot fish help control pollution - http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/09/19/synchronized-swimming-patrolling-for-pollution-with-robotic-fish/

An interview with Richard Dawkins - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/science/20dawkins.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&ref=science

Friday Links 5

Movies Seen Recently - Elektra Luxx, Get Thrashed, Mad Max 2, The Science of Sex Appeal, World's Deadliest Animals, Madagascar 2

Elektra Luxx (2010)

Avoid. A star cast couldn't save this film.

Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal (2007)

A good watch if you'd like to know about the history of, and major players in, thrash metal.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Surprisingly better than the first film, IMO. Extremely entertaining. Especially the long chase sequence at the end. No idea how many films this film influenced. Recommended.

The Science of Sex Appeal (2009)

A well-structured documentary, with apt demonstrations to educate viewers about the different factors involved in attraction. I like documentaries that are both educational and entertaining, and this is both. Recommended.

World's Deadliest Animals: Asia: Land of Extremes & Africa (2008)

Nat Geo documentaries. Kind of boring. Nothing new to learn. A few visuals of a selection of dangerous creatures, stitched together with some generic irritating commentary.

Animals Are Beautiful People (1974)

Nature documentary. Not bad. A bit dated. Good for kids.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Again, I'm surprised at how good some sequels can be. This one was quick, witty, and hilarious, matching if not exceeding the original. Excellent pop culture references, my favourites being the Gremlins and Statue of Liberty bits. Highly recommended.

Movies Seen Recently - Elektra Luxx, Get Thrashed, Mad Max 2, The Science of Sex Appeal, World's Deadliest Animals, Madagascar 2

The Robe - A Book & Movie Comparison

The 1942 book was always intended to be a religious discourse. The entire middle section is more a retelling of the gospels than an actual story, though it has a pretty structured narrative that make sense, when it's not busy being anti-semitic. The book is good in parts, but dishonest overall.

The 1953 movie, on the other hand, has historical inaccuracies (and not in a good way like in 300) & a narrative that is seriously flawed. Logic has been sacrificed for dramatic effect. Avoidable.

The Robe - A Book & Movie Comparison

Friday Links 4

Humour

My favourite Gordon Freeman quotes - http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/09/09/funny-graphs-deep-stuff-man/

How IT people see each other - http://www.bonkersworld.net/roles-in-the-it-world/

Assailant suffers injuries from fall - https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OAuHkOy43rk/TmGTKqmXqmI/AAAAAAAAOBw/zGiqN8UrCko/s800/3toox.jpg

Typical Ping Pong game - http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/09/10/funny-graphs-its-all-covered-in-hair-now/

Just Chilling - http://comixed.memebase.com/2011/09/13/koma-comic-strip-tenso-just-chillin/

God's day off - http://comixed.memebase.com/2011/09/13/koma-comic-strip-gods-day-off/

Alleged gossip from Goldman Sachs' elevators - http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-tweets-from-gselevator-the-gossipy-twitter-account-goldman-wants-to-shut-down-2011-8#-8

This spoof of 'Open letter to a Delhi boy' is funny - http://www.schmmuck.com/2011/09/open-letter-to-mumbai-eunuch.html
(For context, here's the original - http://raagshahana.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-letter-to-delhi-boy.html)

Music

Check out this acoustic cover of 'Rolling in the Deep' by Siddharth Basrur - http://soundcloud.com/arman-and-sid/adele-rolling-in-the-deep/ (For context, here's the original version by Adele - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw&ob=av2e)

Technology

Enter the Petabyte - http://graphjam.memebase.com/2011/09/07/funny-graphs-now-youre-thinking-with-petabytes/

Business

Rediff reports on a new cooling tech start-up - http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-achievers-this-start-up-is-all-set-to-be-worth-rs-1000-crore-in-10-years/20110914.htm

Movies

Unnoticed plotholes in famous films - http://www.cracked.com/article_19435_6-movie-plot-holes-you-never-noticed-thanks-to-editing.html

Society

On gender equality in Kerala - http://www.mutiny.in/2011/09/14/an-ode-to-the-breastless-keralite-women/

Apparently, Omar Abdullah married a minor (going by the comments) - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Omar-Abdullah-divorcing-wife-of-17-years/articleshow/9989687.cms

Science

5 iconic science images, and why they're wrong - http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2011/09/five_iconic_science_images_and.php

Psychology

Knowledgeable individuals protect the wisdom of crowds - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/13/knowledgeable-individuals-protect-the-wisdom-of-crowds/

Animals

The Nile crocodile is actually 2 species - http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/14/nile-crocodile-is-actually-two-species-and-the-egyptians-knew-it/

Is this creature caught in the Philippines, the largest crocodile ever? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14800299

Parasites that attack and control brains - http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/parasite-brain-control/

On the futility of attempting to count species - http://evolvingthoughts.net/2011/08/counting-species/

The Pacu fish has human-looking teeth - http://ellerg.blogspot.com/2010/10/fish-with-human-like-teeth.html

Mumbai

City's best art supplies store? - http://mumbaiboss.com/2011/09/14/ask-a-shopkeer-himalaya-stationery-mart/

Media

The Indian media is at risk of being non-objective - http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2011/09/the-problem-with-the-indian-media-and-why-you-should-care-by-hartosh-singh-bal.html

Friday Links 4

Conspicuous Security

Rewind to just after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. I'd like to draw your attention to the comments section in the post that's linked below, and the bit about conspicuous security.

http://bobbybollo.blogspot.com/2008/11/terror-strikes-mumbai.html

Fast forward to January 2011. I'm sharing a rickshaw with a British expat. As we pass through Pali Hill, Bandra, we see a silver Rolls Royce (or a Maybach, I can't be sure) pull out of a swank building at high speed. It's immediately tailed by a police jeep nearby, equally fast, and on perfect cue as they drive up the road, a black unmarked security vehicle follows. All very quick and professional looking.

My companion remarks how silly it all is, how conspicuous the target vehicle is, and how vulnerable the target, were it to be attacked. He remarks that discretion would be a better way to go about it, travelling in one or a few unmarked vehicles, anonymously, not drawing attention to yourself, like they do abroad. But I'm still not sure.

I've always thought that in India, flashy security works better than discreet security. Firstly, travelling in a convoy of unmarked security vehicles is going to garner attention one way or another. The only benefit is hiding your target. And that's not much of a benefit when your convoy is going to be stuck in slow moving traffic anyway, were it to be attacked.

Secondly, Mumbai isn't exactly the venue for high-profile assassinations or 'hits'. Professional terrorists were able to overcome a good deal of policemen in November 2008, but your everyday Indian businessman, politician, or celebrity is going to be targeted by people a little more rustic, like freelance mafia hitmen with pistols. These types are neither well trained, well organised, or high-tech. And easily deterred by an obvious show of force.

So it would appear that conspicuousness wins over discretion, right? Well, that's what I thought, but I suppose things are changing. Who's to say that a rich business or political rival isn't going to hire a professional (or professionals) to do what your lowly hitman can't? In which case, your flashy show of force will come to naught, much like the security in place at VT that November. And in a situation like this, anonymous travel in a convoy makes more sense.

The advent of more high earning, high profile targets, susceptible to attack by increasingly armed and organised individuals, means more discretion can only be a good thing. Flashy conspicuous security might work at present, most of the time, but in the long run, it has got to evolve.

Thoughts?

Conspicuous Security

Movies Seen Recently - Thor, Zeitgeist: The Movie, 500 Days of Summer, Stripper Academy

Thor (2011)

One of the better superhero movies made recently.

Kenneth Branagh lived up to expectations, delivering a film with an epic feel, tight editing, good VFX, decidedly good storytelling, infused with appropriate humour, and supported by a good cast.

A grand success for someone who's more used to making Shakespearean themed films. And Tom Hiddlestone as Loki is probably one of the best casting decisions made so far this year.

Zeitgeist:The Movie (2007)

The film begins on a boring note, with abstract visualisations and news clips seemingly continuing forever.

Then comes 'Part 1 - The Greatest Story Ever Told', about the story of Jesus being a myth, derived from other religions. It seems like the film makers only selected facts that supported their theories and left out a number of other facts that constituted important evidence contradicting them.

'Part 2 - All the World's a Stage', discusses 9/11 being an inside job, but using only anecdotal evidence.

'Part 3 - Don't Mind the Men behind the Curtain', discusses how wars are instigated by a select few individuals only for economic gain, and that everything is leading to a one-world government.

The film does make factual references but they're few and far between and taken out of context. That, and the slick editing and music score, makes it seem misleading.

500 Days of Summer (2009)

Bittersweet romantic drama. One of the better ones to come out of America recently. Doesn't resort to cuteness, cliches or over-the-top devices to gain attention.

Highly recommended.

Stripper Academy (2007)

Avoid.

Movies Seen Recently - Thor, Zeitgeist: The Movie, 500 Days of Summer, Stripper Academy

Chain Mail

People tend to keep cursing spam email, which is fair.

The last thing you want to see when you go online and open your email inbox are messages about 6 month MBAs from dubious PO Box universities, penis enlargement pills, discounted medication, and links to porn/virus websites. So all the hate directed at spam email is well deserved.

And then there are chain emails, the ones with a pretty useless message and a note at the bottom asking you to forward the email to 10 other people within a time frame, lest something evil befall you and your family. Exasperated anger towards emails like these is well deserved too.

But to those of you who believe that chain mail is a recent phenomena, that came into being soon after the advent of the internet, I'd like to point out that some of us have been silent sufferers of it for far longer.

You see, before there was spam email, there was spam mail. That's right. Paper spam. In envelopes. Delivered to your doorstep.

You opened the envelope. You read the contents on a printed sheet of paper. Telling you how long that particular chain was. And how much more longer you could make it, by making copies and forwarding it to 10 other friends, and adding your name to the list included. How the Prince of Wales was part of the chain, and how you wouldn't want to piss him off by discontinuing the chain, in less direct but equally menacing words.

Into the trash bin those letters went. And nothing ever befell our family except less stress, and perhaps no calls from the Prince of Wales.

Chain Mail