Shameless Fiasco...

I had to write this no matter how un-populist it may sound...

So 'Slumdog Millionaire' won 8 Oscars. A most note worthy achievement indeed. I have personally not watched the movie because I have an aversion to over hype; but maybe when the hype dies, who knows... Anyway, this post is not an appreciation of the said movie at all. If it's anything it's an exercise in deprecation.

Let's get one thing straight- 'slumdog Millionaire' is a British movie...full stop! It is not even a collaboration, unless you take the nationality of the actors into consideration- which would land the entire exercise of crediting a movie into s@#tty waters. A British- american-mexicano- latin-german-....you get the general idea. Danny Boyle, the director and the man of the moment, is a UK resident and has no Indian citizenship.

With that set straight lets get on to the point. Why in hell is every other Indian news media and even the UPA trying to take credit for the movie? Why in tarnations name I ask?!!!! This question has been eating away at my mind for the last few days and left me in a nail biting tantric state. Without having ownership of a particular quality called utter shamelessness I can not imagine any Indian coming forward to claim the honor.

Well and good the actors have done a geat job and have been deservingly, but considering the nature of the Oscars debatably as well, won accolades for it. But that is not reason enough to jump on city scapes and announce brazenly that it is India's moment. Shamelessness really does very poorly at describing the current mood here. Let's for once sit down and think reasonably. Isn't it being unfair to Danny and his directorial and script writing team the way India is Hijacking his moment? I mean the poor chap must be feeling guilty to take credit for his own work, given the stratospheric jubilation here in India by everyone from the news media to the UPA!

The most damning of everything is the fact that the UPA government has also raised it's me-me flag. Without being disrespectful in the least, might I ask a simple question. Did Sonia Gandhi act in the movie? Or perhaps Amar singh aided Danny Boyle in the direction? Or maybe the spot boys were UPA workers? Nada! None of that happened. Then why, UPA, why, demean yourselves and the entire nation by making such ridiculous and half assed claims?

A paper, which unlike certain others exercises restraint and posesses that rare gift called common sense, carried a feature that quotes a distinguished person. He says that rather than the nation's achievement it is a celebration of individual talent and I very well agree with him.

Indians have for long lived in extremes. We are quick to crown someone and equally quick to throw the same person to the wolves. Maybe what we really want is a sense of identity...

A DATE WITH PENELOPE CRUZ

Today's paper says that Penelope Cruz does not have a date for Valentines this year... I would be more than willing to make myself available; what's more I'll even give her a rose;-)

I'm anti-establishment to the extreme. Rebel without a cause might describe my state quite aptly, yet, even that coinage stops short of being complete. I do not gripe against conventions for lack of things to do. It is my identity rather. I'll always seek to find the hidden path.

So needless to say valentine's day ticks me off. I say, why glorify a particular day when all it works out to is an excuse to be attentive one day and indifferent the rest of the year. Or in certain cases as an excuse to get into someone's pants... My displeasure would perhaps not be as evident if the capitalization of the day was not so severe. The appeasement of Mammon is sickening and revolting- utterly.

It is in itself a rather sweet idea. I mean why on earth should I protest the expression of love? The interpretation and practice of the theory is what riles me! 1 Corinthians 15 is so starkly in opposition to the way people celebrate Valentines now. It is showy, decadent, selfish, self-seeking and above all hypocritical.

Why then, you might ask, do I volunteer to be Penelope Cruz's date? The possibility of that happening is as good as Haley's comet deciding to do a 5o year advance appearance, but still, why? The reason is simple really- she's the bomb! And if the excuse of Valentines is the only chance in a million, make that a trillion, for me to spend a day with her, I'd glady betray myself and half the world. Hypocritical? Exactly why I dislike Valentines!:-)

ASHES OF TIME

Last night i watched this work of art by Wong Kar Wai, and I was quite overwhelmed. Wong Kar has long been renowned as one of China's most prolific Cinematic exports, and this movie proves it.

The plot is not the most important thing here, nor is the action which to be honest left me feeling a little disoriented because of its jerkiness. The key to understanding and enjoying the movie is instead in the art of storytelling that Wong Kar Wai employs. Through a roughly one and a half hour duration some seemingly disconnected personalities are woven into an awesome climactic sequence.

Partly a study on the nature of human emotions, and partly an examination of personality types, the movie succeeds on both counts for me. The dialogues are neither too obtuse or esoteric, nor too one dimensional; which is the same for the characters themselves. I suspect that much of Chinese folklore and philosophy has been interwoven into the movie.

The cinematography is first rate. Certain scenes look like they would have been perfectly at home among one of Ansel Adam's best photographs; and coming from a Photography fanatic that's high praise. The beauty of the desert is not cosmeticized( this btw is not a real word!) but presented in all it's cruelty and quiet tenacity.

The characters are played excellently by some Hong Kong heavy weights. I think that Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung steal the movie through their stellar performances though. Tony Leung in particular occupying very little screen time proves that long does not necessarily mean better. Props to all the cast though!

I always desist from elaborating on the plot in my reviews because I feel that it is for the viewer to discover for themselves. What I can say without any prejudice is that Wong Kar wai deserves every accolade he gets. very few movies leave me feeling half satiated and craving. This was one of them.

There are some very strong, but covert, sexual allusions in the movie. See if you can spot them; perhaps that'll tell you how observant you are:-)

Watch it!

I AM

" I am different: I am what has never been before: I am the first ray of a new sun: I am the anti-thesis to narrow minds, yet neither am I the sort of liberal that scoffs at history and culture: I am today, and also the day after tomorrow.

I am the one who dislikes being just ordinary: I have looked into myself and found that I am nobody's slave: I am not lost because I trust the road I walk: I am not limited because I see no boundary: I have found that I am unchained, unshackled.

I am free... and I know it."

Huthuka Chishi

DANCE OF THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY

I know that it is much delayed but the PX100 review will need a few more days before I can wrap it up conclusively. The reason is two fold- firstly the sound seems to be changing, though subtly, so I need it to settle reasonably . Secondly I have been trying to get my hands on some rather professional grade test tracks. But expect it to be done in a few more days.

With that put aside, let me come to the subject of today's post- classical music. Not the whole synopsis of course!
I am an omnivore when it comes to music; anything from children of Bodom to U2 and Duke Ellington works for me. But for a serious session of listening I always go to classical or Jazz. The amount of detail and meat you find in these two genres lack parallel in others( I am saying this at the risk of sounding provocative and controversial).

So there's this particular piece by Tchaikovsky called 'Dance of the sugar plum fairy', that I was listening to the other day. It figures quite prominently on my Ipod's 'Classical' playlist and so of course I've heard it before. But this time I paid close attention to it and came to a very disturbing conclusion: it's beguilingly innocent title hides a very macabre quality!

The whole construct of the piece rings with a sinister and eerie quality. Now, don't call me schizophrenic, but after some substantial listening I am led to say it. This of course is my personal conclusion. That's not to say that Tchaikovsky was a weirdo, or to take it to another level, that there is a conspiracy afoot. I instead feel that this is a perfect example of music's subliminal capabilities. In the hands of a master like Tchaikovsky notes and structures become complex constructs that develop a multi-level quality.

As I listened to the piece the mental picture of a sweet looking fairy prancing on window sills changed into something quite different. Think horror flicks like ' The tooth fairy'... Tchaikovsky seemed to project something that, despite the folk storyish connotations of goodness and innocence, is equally sinister because of it's most compelling quality- it's mysteriousness. The fairy is really an unknown, or even unknowable, entity and thus one cannot be utterly sure about its intent and motives.

As the score weaves through the most eerily beautiful chords I began to imagine a beguilingly beautiful being rising and falling in hypnotizing rhythm in a misty and swampy forest: Its beauty at odds with an equally scary quality. Who knows whether the sweet fairy dances to delight and rescue the lost traveler, or to ensnare him further in magic and nightmares...

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=HSQ3ZRmkmy4

Picture credit goes to www.nihilmedia.com

RATIONING WISDOM ( OR JUNK, which of course depends on perspective!)

'The way to live a meaningful life?
Work, solitude, good communication and prayer.'

THE LONG DELAYED REVIEW OF THE SENNHEISER PX100

SO here's the long delayed review of the Sennheiser PX100:-) To start with I'll tell you why I wanted to ditch the stock apple ear buds.
1. it does not fit! This was the most irritating thing about those white cans. Firstly stuffing it into the average sized ear is a painful exercise; secondly they do not stay where they are supposed to, i.e; inside your ear.
2. The bass is all but absent by which I mean that the low end has done a disappearing act.This is especially apparent when you are listening to orchestral music and club.
3. Ear fatigue is a problem due to the over emphasized high end. An hour is the most I can use these phones before my ear starts ringing like a damned Church bell!
4. The sound stage is pretty dismal.
But strangely enough these phones have some plus points too. The mid and highs are quite OK and so acoustic music benefits quite a bit from it. In fact when it comes to acoustic I like their sound better than my Sennheiser PX100! Don't crucify me for saying that. On the acoustic guitar version of 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven for instance the guitar sounds pretty clean and musical. On the PX100 it sounds fine but the brilliance becomes a tad muffled.
Anyway beside that plus point these phones were pathetic when it came to other music so they simply had to go.
The choices I had for a replacement were three; the PX100 or the CX500 or the CX300. All by Sennheiser because I have used and broken a MX550 by them and I quite liked the sound signature. After a lot of reading on online reviews I decided that I wanted over the ear mini headphones rather than the in ear canal sort. Thus the PX100.

REVIEW:
These phones are fold able to help in portability .Out of the pack it is pretty impressive coming in a sturdy and attractive sun-glass case look alike. It feels sturdy enough and the weight is not an issue at all. The cord is longer than necessary to use with a portable but while watching movies on your laptop it's pretty handy; further while carrying it around you can coil the extra length into a pretty unobtrusive size and stuff it along with the player. The pads on the drivers are not nearly as comfortable as a full sized headphone but neither are they uncomfortable. Overall it looks and feels pretty solid, though some people make an issue of it's thin plastic cum metal band...well, dude it's meant to be portable you know, duh!

Now let's move to the all important issue of sound. Surprise! Out of the pack it sounds a little underwhelming. All those super awesome reviews do hike your expectations up to an unrealistic level. Not that it's crappy mind you. They still sounded way better than the cans I ditched them for. But then I knew a secret: headphones like any good speakers need some time for burn in.
So I played all kinds of bass heavy sounds at a considerable level for some hours and sure enough I could discern a change in the sound. Gradually it improved and now that I've been using it for around three weeks I'm pretty much sold on these! Now some would call this a mental thing, like you know how its all in my head. But believe me no company can sell so many of their phones simply because of mental trickery; and by Jove, these headphones sell!

So how would I describe the sound? I'll describe the performance of these headphones on three levels- low, mid and high and I'll deal with each in a seperate post cuz I want to do a real review.

LOW END- They blow away the stock Ipod earphones a whole galaxy away! Simple as that. Not only that, in comparison with my broken MX550 too, which were substantially better than many in ears I've used , they performed exceptionally well. The low ends are produced faithfully and there is very less bloating happening. As a result electronic and club music sounds full and lively while orchestral music sounds grand! Hip hop, trance and the other genres that emphasize low ends benefit hugely too. However, a note of caution- these cans will not over exaggerate bass so for chronic bass lovers I'd say look elsewhere. My reference track for the low ends were the whole 'Sentimento' album of Andrea Bocelli, 'All I ever wanted' by Bass hunter, 'lollipop' by Lil Wayne and 'Good Morning little schoolgirl' by Johnny Lang.

Without exception the PX100 performed brilliantly on all tracks! On 'Mattinata' by Andrea Bocelli the bass string section comes through perfectly lending just enough support to the song without overwhelming it totally. Very little, if any, bloating noise is noticed, and for a headphone this size that's superb considering how orchestral music is so notorious for being hard to reproduce accurately!

On the Basshunter track the bass sound around the 16th second mark makes a confident entrance with aplomb; this particular song on the earlier ipod stock sounded positively teeny, but on these they sound marvellous!

The next track was no less challenging because it has these very low end sounds that most bass addicts call 'boom'. On less accomplished headphones they sound like a loose rubber band but on these they sound pretty good. Now given their size one cannot expect them to give the same response as high quality speakers but its impressive that one can hear these low ends at all on a headphone this size! You can hear these low end sounds boom and then spread like a nuclear explosion even without EQs, but boost the bass using a good EQ and boy, do these blow!

Finally the Johnny Lang track. Now Johnny Lang deals with that particular brand of music that's neither decidedly Blues nor Jazz but falls somewhere in between. And we all know what Blues Rock sounds like- bass lines being prominent through out the songs. On this particular song too the bass line is present in abundance and the PX100s do a darned good job of reproducing them! Even more than in the previous songs these type of songs need a very steady grip because the bass needs to sound controlled and tight. The PX 100 latches on to them bass lines and plays them like a God Sent! Just heavenly the sound that comes out on this particular track.

So then these cans rock on the bass front but what about the mids and highs? Well, you'll have to come back for an update in my next post :-) Though I hate these delay tactics I am too lazy to finish it at once and I will not compromise on the quality of my review either by adopting a short cut. So see you then.