The secret life of a movie buff and his confessions!

Before I charge ahead with my thoughts, there’s this haunting secret I wish to share. This may sound absolutely hideous to some and downright delightful to others. Either way, I have decided to unload the burden off my chest.  

I am a huge, huge ‘movie buff’. You don’t blink?! That’s good.

If there’s an interesting English movie playing on the small screen, come rain or hailstorm, I stay glued to it without granting any privilege of the remote to others. Earlier, countless battles have ensued with family members. But most of them were foiled with a raised eyebrow or a needle-slit stare. Conversely, there  were times, when I relinquished the seat too! Those, of course, were perilous instances, where the other party emitted a high-pitched war cry and sought my blood.

On a more serious note, I am yet to comprehend this massive pull towards the cinema. In fact, ‘Movies’ seem to permeate my blood so much that at times I sneak out of the house on the pretext of going to work and end up munching popcorn in a theatre. I don’t blame my parents for this kind of an upbringing. Neither do I blame myself for turning out this way. If ever I have to blame anyone, it would be directors Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino  and the likes.

These guys are crazier than they come. Seen Avatar? What the devil got into James Cameron to shoot a movie like that? Navi tribe, inter planetary treks and the exotic flora and fauna that pervades the foreign terra firma, all these can make your brain go defunct with exhaustive information or inexpressible bliss. Spielberg is no less a giant either. Jurassic Park, Twister, Catch Me if You Can… sometimes, his thread of successes stretches longer than the imagination. Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and others have a certain shock value and go on to create a niche in the mind.

However, there’s one notable feature about these topnotch directors, they know how to grill their steak to the viewers taste. Then they keep the supply steady so you don’t starve but instead graduate to become a monster ‘Sofa Spud’ of the big screen.

With the director’s reputation preceding the movie, I viewed Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’. With all the hype of planetary travels and movie moghuls hailing the flick to the skies, my expectations were floating among the stars.

But, as far as I am concerned, the movie bombed. I don’t give a dime to what the outside world thinks. For me, the idea of relocation of human race to other planets is in itself a far-fetched idea. That too through a wormhole makes the story less credible. 

However, the sinking feeling comes more from a gloomily and pathetically executed direction. Though the actors were of repute, they had staid and lackluster roles. Then, why in the hell is the public proceeding in droves to watch it? Why?! Either they haven’t understood the movie the first time or they get a kick from being called ‘The Intelligentsia’ that cracked the code. 

Anyway, the flick may get amazing revenues, but it can never get my appreciation. Period. “Sorry Nolan, but that’s the truth”. 

‘The Heartbreak Kid’ on Romedy Channel

One fine day it dawned on me that ‘Romedy’ channel, which is aired on television, when split into comprehensible vocabulary, takes on two words ‘romance’ and ‘comedy’. Call it serendipity or self-discovery but this sudden enlightenment made me pat myself and I treated myself to a warm cup of coffee. Although I haven’t checked with genuine sources, nobody contested the point to this date.  Therefore, I reverentially bask in the glory of  single-handedly deciphering one of the hidden-beneath, complex codes.

Romedy, I should say, is one of the finest channels as it appetizingly concocts humour with love. You don’t need to be a doctor to decipher that this potent combination elevates the senses and comforts the neurological threads that complexly crisscross the internal anatomy.

In fact, the movie, which made my anatomical threads tingle, was one that hadn't actually found its right audience. Then, one day, it simply launched at me from the TV screen with the power of a stone flung from a catapult. I was caught unawares as the saga snowballed into a gripping storyline and actors came alive and spoke directly to my heart.

The movie was ‘The Heartbreak Kid’. I am not talking about the pathetically, deplorable half-naked raw kid, but of Ben Stiller (‘Eddie’ in the movie). Wasn’t ever a huge fan of him, but he stole the spotlight for his superb ‘dumb act’ performance. The humour takes on assorted hues as Eddie gets married in a hurry and regrets at leisure. With good doses of uncle Tito space fillers there’s never a dearth for a laugh.

What captures your imagination is the way writers play the cards close to their chest. When Eddie accidentally meets Lila ( Malin Akerman), its like angels have descended and rendered euphoric numbers while cupid shot arrows from a distance. The resultant of these chance meetings blossoms into a wedding.

But, a few days into the marriage, Eddie discovers that Lila has a deviated septum, which is a result of over consumption of cocaine. The guy whom he fought off from stealing her bag was actually her previous boyfriend. And that she isn’t a research scholar but a volunteer with no pay. All these play too heavily on his heart and his love for her takes a complete nose dive into freezing cold waters of antipathy and disbelief. During their honeymoon, Lila’s accidental yet severe sunburns restrict her to room while granting Eddie the liberty to stroll the place…alone. That’s where he bumps into Miranda (Michelle Monaghan). 

While he successfully falls out of love with Lila, he unsuspectingly falls in love with Miranda. That too while he is honeymooning is what makes things weirder than they were supposed to be. The subsequent twists and turns in the story keep you rolling on the floor with laughter. Except for a few unmentionable scenes, I guess the movie is hilarious to the hilt. If you are of admissible age and still haven’t watched this movie… boy, you gotta grow up! 

A Happy and Successful 2015

I have been too long away from writing on my blog. It certainly is regret, because I miss out on doing what I cherish the most. Unfortunately, there’s always loads of pressure at office and barely any time to invest in decent writing. But, this year, one of my conscious resolutions, is to keep a steady inflow of postings on my blog. This might be tedious and might even cut into my professional schedule, yet I stand determined to achieve a minimum of hundred postings by the year end.

I distinctly remember making a similar resolution earlier and falling flat on my back. Now that I picked myself and dusted off the disappointments, I crafted deliberate strategies of reminders and re-reminders to achieve this goal – which I hope will see me through the task.

First, a little retracing of steps of the year gone by. The year 2014 has been one helluva year. I made decent money. Invested in real estate. Tucked away some savings for the rainy day. Read more than 100 books. Ran half a marathon. Dabbled in oil paintings. (This was the first of sorts and was fascinated to discover there’s a respectable artist hidden inside). Caught up on heaps of music (Unfortunately or fortunately this evaded me during my twenties). A huge thanks to Youtube, whether it was music or other intriguing aspects of erudition, most of my learning was through this amazing contrivance.

However, the year had its own lopsided non-accomplishments too. Picked up a wordy duel with my boss (who actually deserved a punch in the face), this didn't fare well. For rightfully taking my stance, he unrightfully cut my salary, making me poorer by more than half a lakh. Lesson learnt: Never fight with a boss who hasn't already paid your full salary. ;) Investing time unwisely has been a major concern. I have misappropriated countless manhours which could have been effectively utilized for accomplishing something  far more valuable and long lasting.

Nonetheless, before this month rolls by, I would like to wish readers a happy and prosperous 2015. Do keep coming back as I plan to have the blog updated with interesting write-ups, this time, on a regular basis. Of course, most of these write-ups would be centred around my life and of things related to me. I guess I hold that wee bit freedom. You see, this is my blog after all…