Mad Men: A sedate and unbiased look at the American advertising world of the early 60s when sexism was open and casual and sexual mores were just beginning to change. It is a world of well dressed and groomed men who live the good life and treat women as objects to adorn their bedrooms and their arms. It is about women caught in the cusp of change unsure about the extent of their independence. It is about the conflict between the two. At times too slow the series is however beautifully crafted and atmospheric with the highly detailed production design a splendid visual treat. Jon Hamm is the pick of the excellent ensemble cast disappearing into his laconic role of Don Draper, an ad man with a mysterious past. Of course, any show that has the voluptuous Christina Hendricks (Firefly fans will recognize her as Malcolm Reynold’s ‘wife’) gets my automatic vote :) That she is good in her role as the secretly suffering woman caught between failed ambition and illicit love is an added bonus.
The Office (US Version): Steve Carrell. Watch it for him. The depths he plumbs in portraying, what seems to be on the surface, an unlikable and often unwatchable, cringe worthy character is simply phenomenal. He gives the character a certain tragic dignity that makes you want to understand his immense loneliness and even like him in spite of yourself. A brilliant achievement that. Add to that a slightly uneven but idiosyncratic bunch of characters as well as great writing and you get one uniquely funny show. I’ve not seen the original British version but for me this is more than enough.
30 Rock: A delightfully subversive comedy that pokes fun at everything on and about network television. This series is one of the smartest comedies I’ve seen in a long time. Tina Fey as the show’s creator, writer and main actor deserves high praise for the consistently sharp and witty bite of the show. But the two characters who walk away with the show are Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan. While Baldwin is deliciously wicked in his role as a NBC TV exec with high ambitions, Morgan is hilariously mad as the resident TV star.
The Sopranos: Well, well, well…what can I say that has not been said already by thousands before? THE TV show that set new standards for the depth of its high quality writing. This is the Goodfellas of the small screen although even that high praise is simply not enough. An outstanding cast that quietly but very effectively disappear into their roles (with James Gandolfini and Edie Falco being particular stand outs) and featuring a soundtrack that would have made Scorcese or Tarantino proud this series should not be missed at any cost!
Grey’s Anatomy: The hospital as a setting has been a happy hunting ground for many American TV shows. There have been innumerable shows set in a hospital that have done extremely well. This show starts with that similar setting but comes up with enough fresh ideas and characters to set it apart. Dealing exclusively with surgeons what makes this series stand out are the believable characters and the web of relationships constructed around them. They will irritate you, make you smile and laugh, pine for them and sometimes even cry. Deeply emotional and sometimes a bit too sentimental the series still has a sustaining power for the life the writers and actors breathe into their characters.
Damages: A chilling and cautionary tale about people who will go to any length to win. Glenn Close is diabolically good as the high flying attorney who wants to to win at any cost. Rose Byrne offers her able support as an ambitious rookie lawyer. Tightly plotted and shot in a claustrophobic manner using a muted color palette the series grips you from the first episode and the pace doesn’t slacken until the end.
Prison Break: The first season was fresh, intense and very gripping but the second season slipped into 24 (and Lost) territory with so many unbelievable twists and turns. Man, did it get exasperating or what! I simply gave up in disgust after the first few episodes of the third season. And what is up with Wentworth Miller? Does he think sporting a permanent scowl is a substitute for acting?
Reaper: How would you feel if your soul was sold to the Devil before you were born by your parents and the Devil has come to collect in the form of a job as a catcher of escaped souls from hell? Pissed right? That is the basic premise of this show. A light hearted series with an interesting idea it is fun to watch even if the storyline is often wafer thin and the characters disappointingly uni-dimensional. But Ray Wise as the remarkably suave Devil livens up the screen whenever he makes an appearance. His eyes have this sparkle of evil glee in them that just sets him apart from the rest of the cast.
Bionic Woman: A somewhat uneven re imagining of the original 1970s series. It is pulled down by a disappointingly bland lead character but the show still manages to sustain interest through some interesting secondary characters and the many Battlestar Galactica regulars (created by some of the same people behind that show). Katee Sackhoff chews through her scenes and is perhaps the best thing about the show.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The wildly popular film series is now re-tooled for the small screen. While in the beginning the series seemed to be done in by bland and low budget special effects it slowly picked up strength and steam as the season progressed. Lena Headey, who initially seemed ill equipped to fit into Linda Hamilton’s iconic role as Sarah Connor, has slowly brought a strong credibility to her character even if she still looks too sexy for the part. Summer Glau ( River from Firefly) is near perfect as the benign terminator sent to protect John. She almost made me forget Arnie!
Pushing Daisies: Imagine the universe of fairy tales crossed with the visual style of Tim Burton and mixed with the narrative style of Amélie. Pushing Daisies would be the resulting offspring. Bright saturated colors, whimsical characters and an improbable power adds up to one of the best new TV shows. The intense but non-physical chemistry between the two leads, the unsentimental detective, the pining waitress and the lovable idiosyncratic aunts give this fairy tale the human heart. Witty, sweet and a delight to watch this series should be on your must see list!
Californication: This series has enough full breasted naked women, dirty dialog and sex to satisfy even a porn addict. But do not let all that naked flesh and profanity distract you from what is a surprisingly witty and self aware comedy drama. It is a special delight to watch David Duchovny play against type as a writer struggling to come to terms with his writer’s block and the departure of his long term girlfriend whom he still loves through an endless parade of women through his bedroom. He sinks his teeth with glee into a character that is often on a self destructive streak but is also at heart a loving and caring human being. It is definitely a pleasant thrill to see him carry the character off in his own special way. Go watch it. Unless you are a prude, you will love it.
The Daily Show/The Colbert Report: It is perhaps a telling indictment of mainstream American news media when fake news/media punditry shows such as these seem more believable and trust worthy. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are two of the sharpest and funniest satirists on TV. Their incisive and biting wit might rely heavily on their talented writing staff but the characteristic spontaneity and goofiness is all their own. While Stewart is more smooth and somewhat softer in tone, Colbert has a more harder edge. And the best part about these shows is that every new episode is made available for free the next day after broadcast on their respective websites. If you are bored by the bland, watered down news of the mainstream media take a gander at these guys. You will learn a lot about the world while laughing.
It is oft repeated but really rock music is well and truly dead these days. It can be argued that most of the truly great rock music was made between the 1950s and 70s. I’ve always wondered how it would have been to have lived through the 60s when there was a palpable excitement in the music that was being made. It was perhaps the feeling of hope. Perhaps it was the knowledge that this was something new and great. Or perhaps it was the feeling of living in a time where you felt you could truly change the world with a guitar slung over your shoulder. It was all of that and more but what is indubitable is that it was the golden age of rock music with so many bands making such glorious music. I doubt if I’ll ever get to see such a thing happen in my lifetime.
The other day I was wondering about how indifferent I had become about contemporary music. Mainstream hip hop with its talk of money, bling and women makes me want to rip out someone’s heart while the mindless pap that is churned out in the name of pop bores me to tears. Alternative rock has mostly lost its soul while indie rock spends too much time navel gazing. Of course, I’m not a loyal follower of the current music scene. In fact, I’m usually at least five years behind the current music scene so I might be missing a lot of great music. But the few times I’ve listened to music on the radio or on the net has only reinforced my opinion.
That is not to say that great music isn’t being made anymore. There are still artists/bands out there that are still carrying on often against the odds to make the music they believe in. But somehow that fire and excitement is not there in my opinion that was there in rock music’s heyday. Now it is all about sleek studio over-production and marketing to the right demographic.
Maybe I’ve become too old and cranky but there was a time during my undergraduate years when music meant so much. It was part of your soul and the songs literally formed the soundtrack of your life. There was a thrill, a thrill which was equal parts envy and enthusiasm, in watching someone play the song you would give your left hand to play but would never be able to even if you could do that. And every time you attended a rock concert, even with a bad band playing, you earned to be on stage singing those lines and playing those searing solos. Not because you could look cool and attract women (well maybe for that too) but because there was something cathartic about singing your heart out in front of thousands of strangers. It was a perfect medium to let out all that you were feeling into the open through song. It is a pity that that unique pleasure of discovering great music and sharing it with your friends seems to have been lost, perhaps forever.
During that time (and later) I discovered some truly great rock music. Music that has stood the test of time and manages to speak to you with clarity and passion even after so many years. And so even if I have never lived during the golden age of rock here is a list of rock albums that have had a palpable influence and at one point or the other transformed themselves into religious texts for me. Not all of these albums are from the 60s or 70s, there are some from recent times too, but all of them have a touch of greatness in them. These are albums that you should listen to at least once in your lifetime.
Pink Floyd - Eclipse
Pink Floyd-The Dark Side of the Moon: I’ve this inexplicable, almost mystical connection with the music and songs of Pink Floyd. I actually did not like them when I first heard them. I still remember vividly when I first ‘got’ their music. I was sitting under the shed in Nizam’s one afternoon alone and listening to the live version of ‘Wish You Were Here’ from their otherwise bland ‘Delicate Sound of Thunder’ album on a walkman. And there was this moment which I’ll never forget when something clicked and a whole new world opened in front of me. It was magical. After that there was no turning back.
They have made such great music backed by some of the greatest lyrics ever written that it is hard to select the best. In fact, I’m tempted to include at least half their discography in this list!
It took me an insanely long time to really like Dark Side. Even now I don’t think it is my favorite Floyd album but this is the record where everything came together in the correct amount for the band. Water’s profound lyrics, Gilmour’s beautiful guitar playing, Wright’s melodic keyboards and Mason’s tight drumming. Add to this an almost flawless and intricate production and you have one of the greatest rock albums ever made. With its themes of madness, depression, loneliness and greed it is definitely not an easy album to listen to. In fact, it is rather depressing when you really listen to the songs. But that still should not deter you from enjoying ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’s yearning melody or ‘Us and Them’s soulful theme of separation or the epic finality of ‘Eclipse’. However, for me the greatest thing about the album (apart from the iconic cover art) is the lyrics of ‘Time’. Here are the lyrics from the last half of the song:
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I’d something more to say.
It is breathtakingly sad but beautiful poetry. Please, go get the album.
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Van Morrison-Astral Weeks: Someone once said that Van Morrison could sing the phone book and make it sound good. And that is quite true. This album is a testament to that. It is hard to explain the almost mystical quality this album has. Perhaps it comes from Morrison’s Irish Catholic background and Celtic influence. Whatever the reasons it is one of the strangest rock albums. The jazz inflected music perfectly complements the often incomprehensible lyrics.
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
But it is all brought to life by Morrison’s singing. There is a certain pain and yearning in his voice. It is not the pain of anger; it is the pain of loss. You cannot help but get affected by his singing; by the way he brings the dense lyrics to life. It is a 47 minute trip into a different land. A journey you will want to repeat every time the smile around your lips begins to fade under the weight of circumstances.
Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls
Radiohead-Ok Computer: In many ways I prefer their earlier The Bends album for its simple, more mainstream melodic music that is instantly accessible. But the sheer scope and depth of this album has to be appreciated. It is perhaps the best rock album out of the 90s, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and R.E.M. notwithstanding. Dense production and the droning drawl of Thom Yorke are the signature elements of this record. The guitars swirl in layers, the electronic drums are sonorous, the bass throbs with a certain quiet intensity and all of this is tied together by the almost incomprehensible singing of Yorke. The album is quintessentially post-modern in feel with its vague but cool art work and themes of pre-millennial alienation and the coldness caused by technology. There are no instantly hummable tunes here or catchy choruses. The songs have a certain moodiness to them. The moodiness of modern melancholia. But there is melody beneath all that fuzzy distortion and the album grows on you. It is truly an album in which you will discover something new every time you listen to it.
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
The Beatles a.k.a The White Album: The Beatles made many great albums with their Sgt. Peppers album often touted to be the best rock album ever made. But I like this sprawling and uneven masterpiece the most. This is also the album where the cracks first began to show between the band members with most recording sessions often done individually in separate recording studios. And in that regard this is not the work of a band but more the work of the individuals. It was the beginning of the end for the band. But even with all the friction between them what glorious music they made. Abbey Road might be their swan song but this is the album which truly gave them time and space to experiment individually and also move towards a new clean sound. Most of this album was actually written in India where The Beatles had gone to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Rishikesh. That influence clearly shows in the simple but strong song writing even if the band were ultimately disillusioned by their experience at the ashram.
I remember how much I liked this album the first time I heard it, from the clean minimalist cover to the avant garde beauty of Revolution 9. And that song more than anything else on the album made me stand up and take notice. It is a dense song filled to the brim with all kinds of loops, vocal snippets and swirling layers of music. It is unlike anything The Beatles had done before (with a couple of exceptions). There are other great songs too, like Harrison’s masterful ‘While My Guitar Weeps’ that is beautifully fleshed out with a great guitar solo by Eric Clapton. And there is that quietly melodic beauty ‘Blackbird’. Since it is a double album there is some filler that pulls down the album a bit. But overall, this is an extremely rewarding album that is also quite accessible.
Blue Öyster Cult - (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
Blue Öyster Cult-Best Of: Ok, I’ve never gone beyond their best of collection but what a glorious collection it is. Except for a couple of songs that act as filler the collection is a tour de force of hard rock, proto-metal and even soft rock. The band never grew beyond their cult status but they have been highly influential. Metallica covered one of the songs featured on this collection, ‘Astronomy’ on their Garage Inc album. Standout songs include the band’s biggest hit, the lushly melodic ‘(Don’t Fear ) The Reaper’, the darkly seductive ‘I Love The Night’ as well as the above mentioned rocker, ‘Astronomy’. Like most best of collections the record does not have a consistent flow but at least in the first half of the album there is a palpable undercurrent of yearning that runs through the softer songs which is addictive.
Midnight Oil - Dead Heart
Midnight Oil-20,000 Watt R.S.L.: Another best of collection about which I’ve written here.
Indian Ocean - Kandisa
Indian Ocean-Kandisa: One of the very few albums made by an Indian rock group that I can stand and listen to over and over again. Most Indian rock bands I’ve heard suffer from a dearth of originality and what seems like an inability to move away from imitating their Western counterparts in their playing and singing. But Indian Ocean is different. For one they do not sing in English. Second they take the instruments at the heart of the Western rock band and Indianize them while also adding many Indian musical instruments to their sonic repertoire. Listening to them you would be forgiven if you think they are not a rock band but a local folk band. In some ways that is quite true. Most of their songs are from the Hindi heartland. But they have reworked them, often in brilliant new ways. While their earlier albums suffered from a lack of focus and sometimes direction the band tightened their act and came out with an instant classic in the form of Kandisa. To be frank, I do not understand half the album as the Hindi is often beyond my limited knowledge of the language but what does that matter when the music is so down to earth and accessible. Lilting folk tunes and raunchy folk rockers segue into the show stopping sublime beauty of the title song at the end. Even if you do not understand Hindi give this album a listen. If you like music you will like this.
Love - Andmoreagain
Love-Forever Changes: While Jim Morrisson and The Doors were hogging most of the limelight in the late sixties their record label mates quietly came out with this masterpiece that was all but ignored on initial release. It is now a seminal rock record that deservedly finds a place on many best rock albums of all time lists. The album is strangely accessible. Behind the seductive veneer of the songs is the darkness of death and melancholy. Arthur Lee, the front man of the band, actually thought that this album would be his last testament as he thought he would die soon. So the songs have this contemplative quality to them:
“Sitting on a hillside
Watching all the people die
I’ll feel much better on the other side.”
If you like 60s psychedelic music then you should definitely listen to this album. While it does not have the ‘in your face’ attitude of say Jefferson Airplane or The Doors this album has a definite depth. There are no stand out guitar solos or instantly hummable tunes. The band just comes together and gels into one unit to produce an album of simple and subtle beauty. And that is a supreme achievement.
Nirvana - Something In The Way
Nirvana-MTV Unplugged in New York: I’ve already written about this before here.
Pink Floyd - Mother
Pink Floyd-The Wall: As a die hard Floyd fan I had to sneak in another Floyd album into this list :) This record is one of the most ambitious concept albums in the history of rock music (there is even a film of the same name by Alan Parker based on this album). And it almost keels under the weight of its own ambition. In the hands of a lesser band that would definitely have transpired but this is Floyd we are talking about. They often dealt with grandiose themes so they got away with it and in the process produced an amazing album. A brain child of Roger Waters, this is mostly his album, at least lyrically. But without the beautiful guitar playing of Gilmour the album would have fallen apart at its seams and neither would it have been so accessible.
Dealing with themes like breakdown of communication between human beings and the walls we build around each other the album also mirrored the troubles between the band members and marked the beginning of the end for the band. Wright was fired soon after the album came out. Waters and Gilmour started feuding which finally culminated in the departure of Waters after another album and a protracted legal battle over control of the band’s name. While Gilmour would reunite with the remaining three members in the late eighties they would never attain the creative heights again as they did together with Waters on this album.
From the wildly popular and anthemic ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ to the guitar pyrotechnics on ‘Comfortably Numb’, from the questioning ‘Mother’ to the throbbing ‘Run Like Hell’, from the sweet lullaby like ‘Goodbye Blue Sky’ to the accusatory ‘Hey You’ the album is filled to the brim with astonishingly good songs. Even the descent of the last quarter of the record to rock opera excesses does not detract from the quality and depth of the rest of the album.
The following are not rock records in the strictest sense but each one has had its own affect on me so I include them here.
Tori Amos - Me and a Gun
Tori Amos-Little Earthquakes: It has been a long long time since I’ve heard this album completely but I still remember how I was hit in the gut by the force of Tori Amos’s confessional songwriting and powerful singing when I first heard it. She was the pioneer. Without her there would have been no Alanis. There is a gut wrenching honesty to this record. There is also anger. You will cringe as Amos sings of her rape but you will also rejoice later as she tries to make peace. A powerful debut record that is also the most accessible in her catalog.
Tracy Chapman - Baby Can I Hold You
Tracy Chapman-Tracy Chapman: It is interesting how I got around to listening to this album. Not knowing what to give my then girlfriend on her birthday (yes I suck at giving gifts) I randomly settled on this. I came back home and out of curiosity decided to pop it into the audio player. I was instantly blown away. So much so that I bought myself another copy. One of the best debut albums of all time. Tracy Chapman’s unaffected singing style lends an authenticity to her elegant but simple lyrics. The simplicity of the album instantly reels you in. There is no flash. Just plain old honesty that is so hard to come by.
Eminem - Stan (Feat. Dido)
Eminem-Curtain Call: This is not a rock record per se but boy does this guy pack a punch! Endlessly dissected in the media, he is equally vilified and worshiped. But all that controversy should not detract from the sheer talent behind his writing and singing. The way he rhymes is phenomenal. This is poetry of the most personal kind. While he does descend into polemics and vulgarity in some songs, at his best his songs carry an emotional wallop that hits you between your eyes. There is a sensitive side to him too as shown in the devastating ‘Stan’. This collection, in spite of a few excesses and unnecessary filler, is a roller coaster ride through his best and most popular work. Essential listening.
Once Upon a Time In America: Forget the spaghetti westerns for which Sergio Leone is famous. This (along with his Once Upon a Time in the West - see below) is his masterpiece. A big flop when it was first released as the studio had chopped up the film into an incoherent mess the film’s reputation was restored when the original director’s cut was subsequently released. It is a slow but beautiful film underscored by the haunting score of Morricone that deals with the consequences of memory, betrayal, loyalty and loss. Finely nuanced performances by De Niro and James Woods add to the moody nostalgia of the film. The city of New York in which the film is set in is in itself a major character of the film whose growth and problems mirror those of the film’s characters. If you like Leone’s Westerns then do not miss this. Also marks the debut of the luminous Jennifer Connelly.
Once Upon a Time in the West: As mentioned above another of the masterpieces directed by Leone. An epic western starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson and Jason Robards it forms the beginning of a loose trilogy which ended with the above film. Featuring yet another masterful and melodic score by Morricone this film like the one above slowly grows on you with each passing minute. It examines at leisure with slow tracking shots that lack much dialog life on the edge of civilization and the choices men make in those circumstances. The painstakingly choreographed gun fights are a sight to watch even if they are over in a flash.
Diarios de Motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries): A moving and inspiring film about the epic journey made by Che Guevara and his friend on a motorcycle across South America and how the journey played a major role in the awakening of political consciousness in the young medical student.
The Conversation: In some ways this is the best film made by Coppola. More intimate than his Godfather and Vietnam War epics this little film about a quiet and intensely private man who spies on other people works on so many levels. Suffused with an intense sense of paranoia in keeping with the subject matter of the film and the conspiracy riddled time it was released in (just after the Watergate scandal broke) the film is still hugely relevant today with its themes of erosion of privacy with increasing technology and personal responsibility. Gene Hackman is pitch perfect as the audio surveillance expert.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: One of my favorite films. Milos Forman stayed mostly true to Kesey’s novel and in the process crafted a fine jewel about non-conformism and its effect on rigid authority. The film works because of some excellent performances by the lead actors. Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher deserved their Oscars for the roles of McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, which they made their own so well that you cannot imagine anyone else in their roles.
La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers): A landmark film based on the Algerian War against French rule that has been highly influential. Gillo Pontecorvo’s fiercely independent film refuses to take sides and in that process exposes the cruelty that both sides resorted to in the name of freedom and colonization. The film’s semi-documentary style lends it an authenticity and rawness that very few films dealing with a historical topic manage to achieve.
Solyaris (Solaris): Often termed as the Russian answer to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey this Tarkovsky film is a masterpiece in its own right. Based on a novella by the Czech writer Stanislaw Lem the film is an exploration of the hubris of man and his overconfident dependence on science and technology as the answer to everything even when it utterly fails when confronted with an alien intelligence. Deliberately paced and at times irritatingly slow (the car driving sequence) this is not a typical science fiction film as there are no epic space battles or spectacular spaceships to feast your eyes on. On the contrary the film is a psychologically intense examination of man and the alienating effects technology and space exploration has on him as well as the resulting loneliness. (The film was recently remade by Steven Soderbergh as Solaris with George Clooney in the lead which although better than most Hollywood science fiction and featuring an intensely moody score still falls short of Tarkovsky’s version).
Earth: The second part in Deepa Mehta’s elemental trilogy is based on Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel Ice Candy Man (later published as Cracking India). Set during the turbulent times of India’s partition and the subsequent Hindu-Muslim riots that engulfed many parts of India as seen through the eyes of a young Parsi girl. A fine film if a little rough around the edges. It somehow lacks the edge that Fire, the first part of the trilogy, had even though it deals with a horrific period in India’s history. The somewhat tepid nature of the film is redeemed by the intense performance of Aamir Khan.
Baise Moi (Fuck Me): A highly controversial film, co-directed by a former pornographic actress and a former massage parlor employee turned writer, that was banned in many countries upon initial release. It divided Western media over whether the film was blatantly exploitative or had a genuine point to make. The film is highly graphic in its depiction of sex and violence and most of the actors come from a pornographic background. In spite of its often exploitative nature the film I felt had a point in its depiction of two women who after being exposed to the brutality of men and society embark upon a killing spree. Shot on grainy digital video using available light the film seems more like an amateurish porn video than an actual film but the look of the film somehow suits its subject matter very well. While it is debatable whether their actions are justified or not one should at least commend the directors for offering an unflinching view of the ghettoized nature of modern French society in all its stark hypocrisy. But it never comes close to the masterful restraint and finesse shown by La Haine which dealt with some of the same issues although from a more obviously masculine perspective.
The Shawshank Redemption: Another of my favorite films, Frank Darabont’s almost perfect adaptation of Stephen King’s novella is a modern masterpiece. It is a film that revels in the simple joy of telling a good story. Criminally ignored upon its initial release this film has developed a huge fan following after its DVD release and rightly so. It even managed to creep up to the #2 position in IMDB’s list of top 250 films of all time. A simple, warm and touching story set in an American prison the film is above all about one man’s hope. A hope that he will never let die. Morgan Freeman is simply brilliant and disappears into his character with his warm voice overs (that actually started an irritating trend for using his voice for narration in many other films) and gentle smile. This is a film you will keep coming back to over and over again and in the process find something new to like every time.
This past year has been the year of the (American) TV series for me. I’ve watched some really great shows that have become firm favorites and which I can and do watch over and over again.
1. Battlestar Galactica (2003/4 reimagining): Perhaps my favorite TV series among all the shows I’ve seen. For more read my post on the show here. While Razor, which aired last November and tells the story of Battlestar Pegasus was something of a disappointment, I’m impatiently waiting for the Writer’s Guild strike to resolve so that the fourth (and final) season can air.
2. Firefly: Coming in a close second, mainly because it ran for only one season and therefore could not complete the storyline, is this funny, beautiful, touching and well written sci fi western. The cast chemistry is one of the best things about the show as are the witty repartees. And I’ve fallen hard for Jewel Staite :) It is virtually a crime that Fox executives terminated this show after only one season. In spite of vigorous attempts by committed fans to get the show to continue and even restarted on a different network the series, except for the film Serenity in between, lies in limbo.
3. House M.D.: He is acerbic, abrasive and arrogant but you will still love him. Modeled after the great Sherlock Holmes, Gregory House is a genius medical maverick who saves people by diagnosing cases that often seem undiagnosable using reason and logic. While the fourth season has been a bit underwhelming so far the first three seasons are excellent and worth watching multiple times for House’s acerbic wit and in particular for how Hugh Laurie makes the role all his own. He carries the show completely on his shoulders with elan. No wonder he has received two consecutive Golden Globe awards for acting for this show.
4. Dexter: A stylish thriller which offers an interesting twist on the serial killer genre. Michael C. Hall carries the show with his subtle acting and all knowing voice overs. He is ably supported by a talented ensemble cast. The show is surprisingly mature so if you are put off by blood, nudity and profanity then stay away. Otherwise, prepare yourself to be transported to sunny Miami and its seamier side. While I thought the first season ended in a slightly generic way I liked the second season even more.
5. Heroes: While it shares some uncanny similarities to X-Men Heroes has enough new ideas to make the series work. Tightly plotted, well acted and presented in a stylized comic book format the show will keep you engrossed for the complete first season. As for the first part of the second season the less said the better. It has been a distinct disappointment so far. Let’s hope the remaining half of the season redeems itself.
6. Scrubs: A medical series with a difference. The elaborate fantasy sequences of the lead characters set it apart from other shows set in a hospital. While the show is mainly a situational comedy it is also filled with many touching and serious moments. Although, the last two seasons haven’t broken any new ground and seem like a rehash of old ideas the first five seasons are fresh and funny.
7. Lost: The first two seasons are maddeningly frustrating for the number of mysteries and lack of answers. But the mysteries began to be unraveled slowly. It is perhaps the most gripping and thrilling TV series among those I’ve seen although this very quality might take away the repeat viewing value. An interesting bunch of characters, a beautiful island with a dark side, some mysterious inhabitants and you have one crackerjack of a TV show.
8. 24: Jack Bauer is indestructible and as long as he is alive no terrorist can hurt America. While the real time storytelling sucks you in from the starting second it is also the show’s biggest weakness as it does not offer time for proper character development. This makes the series generic after a point in spite of the high character body count. However, the fifth season delivers a sucker punch and is the best of the seven seasons so far followed by the first and second seasons.
9. X Files: Yes, yes, I’m about a decade behind in my TV viewing! But I finally got around to seeing this once wildly popular TV series recently. Special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully try to make sense of the paranormal and in the process also seek to uncover a huge cover up by the US and world governments with regards to aliens. While the ‘monster of the week’ style of storytelling makes the show a bit repetitive for me the underlying mytharc storyline has kept my interest alive so far in spite of the dated look (at least in the first three seasons I’ve seen until now).
10. Friends: Yes, again, I was late by more than a decade but the wait was worth it. This is the series that started my TV series mania. The hilarious situational comedy, genuine warmth and friendship between the cast members makes this sitcom very special. Although in the last 3 seasons or so the characters became whiny caricatures of themselves and thereby took away some of the warmth from the show the series is still worth watching and funny after all these years.
There were however two TV shows that in spite of coming highly recommended did not engage me.
1. Babylon 5: This series has quite the cult following with a very loyal fan base. It did seem to have an interesting storyline but I just could not get past the dated special effects, cheesy make up and a distinct 80s feel the show has.
2. Seinfeld: Apparently, the series really comes alive from the fourth season onwards but I did not feel like sticking around to find out. I got bored after seeing the first four or so episodes. I did not get the humor of the show and found Seinfeld and his friends yawn worthy.
12 Monkeys: Terry Gilliam has always been very good when it comes to dealing with dystopian futures (Brazil anyone?). And this film is another prime example. A mind bending exercise in alternate pasts and grim reality. This is what happens when a present collides with a meddlesome future. Brad Pitt needs to be singled out for his delightful but edgy performance.
2001: A Space Odyssey : A stoner paradise for many but behind that spacey, chilled out vibe is the quietly effective brilliance of Kubrick. From the scientifically accurate special effects, minimalist set design and vague dialog to the brilliant marriage of music and motion Kubrick shows why he is one of the best directors of all time. This is how science fiction should be. And that sequence of docking spaceships set to Strauss’s Blue Danube? So delicate, so graceful and oh so beautiful. Go watch it please.
21 Grams: Stark, hard hitting and sad. Inarritu’s use of non linear narrative continues with this film from where he left off in Amores Perros. Naomi Watts is the pick of a talented ensemble cast.
Almost Famous: An ode to all that was good about rock music before it got lost in self-indulgence and soulless stadium rock. This film is about the fallibility of rock musicians seen through the eyes of a wide eyed rock fan. Based on Crowe’s own experiences as a writer for Rolling Stone and touring with rock bands. Essential viewing for anyone with a passing interest in rock music.
American Psycho: Less disturbing than the book but still quite effective as a window into the vacuous greed of the yuppie culture in the late 80s and early 90s. Christian Bale gets into the skin of the character and behind his glassy persona you glimpse the other side of the American dream and it is scary for the depth of its emptiness.
Battle Royale: Fukasaku offers this inventive but violent vision of the future. What if troublesome and rebellious school kids were packed off to an island and given lethal weapons with license to kill? Would that solve society’s problems and the travails of parents? See the film to know the answer.
Battleship Potemkin: A masterpiece in every sense of the word. I’d see this film again and again just for that famous Odessa steps sequence. Makes it hard to believe that the film was made way back in 1925.
Zodiac: Fincher’s return to form. A dark and edgy thriller dealing with a true story about a serial killer who was never caught. Fincher’s films always have this distinctive look and this is no different. The muted, slightly desaturated cinematography is highly effective in creating a confined world where danger seems to lurk around the corner. Jake Gyllenhaal is surprisingly effective as the reporter who is not willing to give up.
Training Day: Mainly known as the film that finally netted Denzel Washington his best actor Oscar. But beyond that the film is a disturbing exploration of the corruption that power unleashes. Apart from Washington’s bravura (but slightly over the top) performance watch out for Ethan Hawke’s sensitive portrayal of a rookie cop.
Y Tu Mama Tambien: Sexy and funny. This film about the road trip of two hormonal young men and a woman seeking to escape her troubled marriage explores in seemingly casual fashion deeper topics such as relationships, jealousy and the meaning of friendship. This is a road film with a difference.
Dalkomhan Insaeng (A Bittersweet Life): Kim Ji-Woon’s moody and stylistic meditation on loyalty and love. Gorgeously shot night sequences mingle uneasily with graphic violence but it all serves to bring to the fore the distance to which a man will go to keep true love.
Mala Educasion (Bad Education): Almodovar’s partly autobiographical look at the diverging lives of two school friends and their shared past. Garcia Bernal is as always brilliant in his multi-faceted role. Memory, friendship and cinema come under the scanner in Almodovar’s noirish universe.
Short Cuts: In many ways the film that jump started the trend for multi-character narrative dramas like Magnolia, Crash etc. Based on Raymond Carver’s minimalist short stories, Altman gives us unique fly on the wall views into an assorted bunch of Californian characters whose lives are interwoven in more ways than one. When so many characters are handled with such ease without letting the film run aground you know that this could only have been made by a master film maker.
Tron: A dated but still amusing film about out of control video games. That unique 80s feel clearly comes across in the special effects and music but the film is worth a watch for the weird video world it takes us into.
The Cell:A flawed but intensely surreal film. This is a journey into the twisted universe of a psychotic mind. Every step in that world is an exploration of the surreal with out of the world stunning visuals. Tarsem Singh’s experience in making music videos shows in his sleek cinematography and vivid colors. Some scenes are like paintings out of Dali’s universe. And for once Jennifer Lopez is bearable.
I do not watch television. Not just because here everything is broadcast in German (even Hollywood and Hindi films are dubbed into it) but due to a habit borne out of the way my parents regulated me and my brother’s TV viewing habits. For academic reasons they never allowed cable TV so I was never part of the MTV, Friends (and other such popular TV series) phenomena. I grew up on good old DD and DD Metro. It is only recently, through the persistent recommendations of a lab colleague, that I’ve gotten around to viewing complete seasons of a few American TV series. Great TV shows like 24, Scrubs, House M.D. and Dexter have changed my perception on how TV shows can deal with serious issues in often convincing as well as entertaining ways. But more than all these series the one TV series that has impressed and even surprised me is the 2004 reimagining of Battlestar Galactica. Three seasons of the show have been broadcast so far on Sci Fi Channel in the US and Sky One in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A fourth and final season is slated to begin in April 2008.
Battlestar Galactica started originally as a TV series with a huge Stars Wars hangover in 1978 and became a cult hit. The 2004 reimagining is a complete reboot of the original series with significant changes to the storyline. The basic storyline as mentioned on Wikipedia is as follows:
Battlestar Galactica chronicles the journey of the last surviving humans from the Twelve Colonies of Man after their nuclear annihilation by the Cylons. The survivors are led by President Laura Roslin and Commander William Adama in a ragtag fleet of ships with the Battlestar Galactica, a powerful but out-dated warship at its head. Pursued by Cylons intent on wiping out the remnants of the human race, the survivors travel across the galaxy looking for the fabled and long-lost thirteenth colony: Earth.
To elaborate, the Cylons were a form of AI created by man who later rebelled against their creators. After the First Cylon War and a subsequent armistice agreement the Cylons leave humanity to disappear into space. They reappear 40 years later and launch a sneak nuclear attack on the human colonies nearly wiping out humanity. About 50,000 human survivors manage to escape with the Battlestar Galactica and try to survive in the long and arduous journey in search of a mythical Earth as a new home for humanity.
Like all great science fiction the series gives greater importance to the human element and drama than the gee whiz bang of technology and special effects. That doesn’t mean the special effects are bad or insignificant. On the contrary, the first thing that strikes one on viewing the TV series is the sheer quality of the special effects, they are eye popping to put it simply. But they form only one aspect of the storyline like the acting and production design. First, the production design. It is rooted in contemporary 21st century design elements. The world of the future is not all that dissimilar to the world around us now. This might seem a minor point but is important in the context of viewing as we can relate more to the story. Unlike the alienation experienced while viewing science fiction shows where the technology is so advanced and improbable as to seem magical the technology in Battlestar Galactica is not all that difficult to envision as something that is possible in the near future. The attention paid to production design gives the TV series an authenticity and high quality that is sometimes not found even in mainstream Hollywood sci fi.
Coming to the acting, it is uniformly excellent but particular mention must be made of a few actors. Edward James Olmos who plays Commander Adama brings the right amount of reserve, resolve and respect to his role. Mary McDonnell (you might remember her from her Oscar nominated role in Dances With The Wolves) plays her role as President Laura Roslin with equal parts vulnerability and steely determination. James Callis as Dr. Gaius Baltar has the most complex as well as unsympathetic part among the major roles but in spite of this gets right into the skin of his character as a weak but brilliant scientist who will go to any length to save his skin. Tricia Helfer as Sigma Six, Katee Sackhoff as Lt. Thrace and Michael Hogan as Col. Tigh bring to their characters the right amount of sexiness, feistiness and gruffness respectively.
But it is the moral and religious issues that the series deals with and the contemporary resonance they have that sets the show apart from the majority of TV series and typical science fiction. The humans and cylons have fundamental differences in their views towards god and religion. The cylons believe in a one true god similar to the Abrahamic religions while humans believe in a polytheistic pantheon similar to Greco-Roman religions. The cylons are bent on wiping out humanity as they believe humans to be flawed creations abandoned by god. Apart from this the series also deals with critical issues such as democracy and free elections, genocide, suicide bombers, labor rights, racism, loyalty, human failings and of course love and war. You can draw innumerable parallels to the occupation in Iraq, war on terror, religious fundamentalism and terrorism throughout the series giving it an eerie resonance to the world around us.
Even if you are not big on sci-fi do not miss out on the first three seasons of one of the all time best television shows. The series has garnered considerable critical praise from the mainstream American press and also won the Hugo, Peabody, Emmy and Saturn awards. As Rolling Stone magazine rightly said, “(it is) the smartest and toughest show on TV”.
To paraphrase a soft drink ad from the past, I eat, drink and sleep world cinema. It is one of the few things that keeps me from going mad from the endless tedium of research. I usually have my favorite films running in the background even if I’m doing something else. And come weekends I love to curl up on my couch and lose myself in film after film from around the world. So as you can imagine I’ve seen a LOT of films, especially in the past four years. And every time I see a film I think about posting a detailed review here but as usual my laziness trips my good intentions. So instead I’ve decided to come up with short blurbs for some of the remarkable films I’ve seen, enjoyed, loved and even disliked. So without further ado here is the first part in what will hopefully be a regular series:
1. Apocalypse Now Redux: A difficult film both in terms of production as well as viewing but it is worth all the trouble. One of Coppola’s best with Brando’s brooding presence adding to the other worldly atmosphere of the second half. War is indeed the preserve of psychotics. And seminal use of music, be it 60s rock and roll or Wagner. Look for the Redux version.
2. Full Metal Jacket: Another Vietnam War film but with the distinctive touch of Kubrick. The boot camp sequence is still one of the most intense cinematic moments I’ve seen on film. Kubrick extracts superlative performances from lesser known faces and captures the pointlessness and dark comedy of the Vietnam War perfectly.
3. Amadeus: F. Murray Abraham. Watch it for him. And the music. And the period detail. Enough said.
4. Frida: Hayek excels but the film suffers. All biographies are not equal.
5. Lost Highway: The twisted universe of Lynch. Anything and everything is possible. From surveillance video tapes to meetings with weird people in the desert. Will you be able to unravel the madness?
6. Mulholland Drive: Another Lynch masterpiece. And the hottest woman-woman love scene I’ve ever seen on film. That scene alone is worth the price of rental but the rest of the film is a tour de force of deception, betrayal and the cut throat hunger for fame.
7. Three Days of the Condor: Pollack at his finest. 70s paranoia translated brilliantly onto the screen. The enigmatic but very sexy Dunaway and quietly dashing Redford perform well.
8. Elephant: Gus Van Sant’s sensitive exploration of the Columbine massacre. A chilling tale set in the world of seemingly normal school kids but madness is waiting to be unleashed.
9. Paris, Texas: Wim Wenders sometimes takes too long to get to the point but even then a brilliant film about love and loss set in Paris. No, not that one. The other Paris.
10. Miller’s Crossing: The Coen brothers are in fine form here. A brilliant film noir with really nice cinematography and strong story telling. The cast also shines.
11. Picnic at Hanging Rock: A breakthrough film for Australian cinema as a whole. Weir’s film is enigmatic, surreal and intensely moody. Leaves a lasting impression.
12. Silkwood: Based on a true story. Streep deserved an Oscar for her superb portrayal of a nuclear industry whistle blower.
13. The Hours: Superb screenplay and brilliant acting by three very talented women at the peak of their powers.
14. The Color Purple: Whoopi and Oprah excel in this film based on Walker’s celebrated novel. One of Spielberg’s more serious films.
15. A Fish Called Wanda: British humor at its best. More accessible than the Python films featuring many of the Python regulars. If you like black comedies then do not miss this.
16. La Chinoise(The Chinese Girl): Goddard is usually weird but this takes weirdness to a different level. Been ages since I’ve seen this film but still very vivid images remain from that viewing. Paris 68+Mao=Student Angst.
17. The Royal Tenenbaums: Perhaps the best Wes Anderson film. Everything works brilliantly in this. The screenplay, the hugely talented ensemble cast and the poignant but very funny story.
18. The Untouchables: Based on a true story. Sean Connery walks away with the film.
19. Freedom Writers: Another true story. Not the greatest of films but shows that all it needs is one person who believes.
20. Fa Yeung Nin Wa (In The Mood For Love): Perhaps the film I’d want around if I was stranded on an island. Wong’s masterpiece on poignant love and melancholy. And the cinematography. Oh the beautiful cinematography! Each scene a superbly framed photograph. Doyle, you are god!
21. Adaptation: Clever, clever screenplay by one of Hollywood’s best screenwriters. The film that convinced me that Cage could act.
22. Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road): So much has been said about this film. With good reason. A classic in every sense of the word. The simplicity, the realism as well as the romantic handled with such ease. Hard to believe that this was Ray’s first film.
23. Amores Perros (Love’s a Bitch): Inarittu’s hugely influential film. Multiple plot lines that intersect in often strange but natural ways. A very talented ensemble cast fleshes out the intricate screenplay with ease.
24. Ying Xiong (Hero): Another of Doyle’s stunning visual masterpieces. The fight sequences are like poetry in motion. The story and acting is thin. But that does not matter. The superbly choreographed and photographed fight sequences matter.
25. La Haine (Hate): Kassovitz’s raw film shows a Paris far removed from the glossies. The ghettos and the forgotten suburbs. The gangs and the violence. Watch it and you will understand a little why Paris later burned in 2005.
26. The Man Who Wasn’t There: The Coen brothers are master visual stylists. While this is not their finest effort (that is reserved for Fargo and perhaps O Brother..) watch it for some of the most gorgeous black and white cinematography I’ve ever seen. Billy Bob Thornton’s laconic presence is a bonus as is the always luminous Scarlett Johansson.
27. La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher): A disturbing film exploring the dark sexuality of a woman repressed by an overbearing mother. The ever beautiful Isabelle Huppert gets right into the skin of her character and delivers a chilling but stunning performance.
28. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: An intelligent romantic film. This film proves that the previous sentence is not an oxymoron. Both Winslet and Carrey deliver imo the best performances of their respective careers. A wonderful, sad, melancholic but beautiful love story. Watch it with someone special.
29. Die Hard: Yes, I knew you would call this inclusion a blasphemy! But confess, how can you not love the unflappable (and indestructible) Mr. John McClane? One of the best adrenaline pumping, popcorn popping action films with superb and witty one liners.
It is 06:17 am and I’m done. I’ve finished the book after having read it through the night. And even me, never a big fan of the series, am strangely content. No, I’m not elated. I’m not even sad that the series has come to an end and that perhaps there will be nothing more. No, I’m just content. Content that I’ve finished a rollicking good read. Something that I was not expecting to say as I plodded my way through the first half of the book, through pedestrian prose and middling dialog. But from that point on the book picked up like a beast unleashed. And I found myself getting caught up with the events hurtling towards their singular conclusion. Who had time to pay attention to the language then? Who had time to stop and raise eyebrows at the derivative ideas that drove the story forward, the horcrux which was eerily similar to Tolkien’s great ring, the parallel quest of the Three and the Fellowship and many more similar literary devices and themes? There will be critics in the days to come who will go into excruciating detail over such things. But in the end I’ve to give Ms. Rowling credit where it is due. She excelled herself with the second half of the book and gave a fitting and cinematic end to the series (I can only imagine how exciting it would be for many to eventually see all that easily translatable action on the big screen). The last fifty or so pages passed by in a blur of breathless action and never ending danger. Even if the end is to be expected and perhaps mocked at she brought it to a close with confidence and without resorting to mawkishness.
Yes, read the book. Not just the fans but those of you who look down their long noses and wrinkling brows at a world gone crazy in the grip pf Potter mania, get off your high horse and immerse yourself for a few hours in a world which while inevitably simple is exciting. Take off that chip from your shoulder and place it aside for a few days. While you may justly mourn the death of good children’s literature, put it off for a few page turning hours and give yourself up to the hollow but unique charm of the book. I assure you, like me, you will forget time between those pages.
I’ll go out on a limb and say it; this has to be one of the best greatest hits compilations, ever. There I said it and now you can start throwing whatever it is you throw at people who make one sided statements like that! Wait, there’s more sacrilege coming, apart from this collection I haven’t heard any of their individual albums but I’ll still argue that they are one of the best bands in rock. Do you feel like calling me names like hypocrite and shallow now? I mean shouldn’t a true fan hear each and every one of their songs on every one of their albums and then make such statements? Well, perhaps one day I’ll, but right now I’ll still argue they are great based on this one collection.
Midnight Oil is or rather was an Australian rock band from Sydney who were (and still are) famous for their hard rock sound, strong espousal of left wing causes, incendiary live shows and of course their powerful and hard hitting songs. Led by the charismatic and outspoken Peter Garrett (who actually ran for the Australian Senate on a Nuclear Disarmament Party ticket) the band brought a new sense of left wing activism seldom seen in the mainstream music scene. They were fiercely independent and refused to tone down their commitment to sometimes unpopular causes. Famously, they performed in front of the Exxon headquarters in New York in 1990 in protest of the Exxon Valdez spill carrying a banner that read, “Midnight Oil Makes You Dance, Exxon Oil Makes Us Sick”. They also created a stir with their performance at the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics where they performed wearing shirts that were emblazoned with the word ‘SORRY’, a public apology for the suffering Australian aboriginals went through for more than 200 years under white rule and a direct affront to the Australian PM John Howard sitting in the audience who had refused to apologize to the aboriginals in a gesture of symbolic reconciliation. The band was unfortunately dissolved in 2002 as Garrett left to concentrate on his political career. Apart from Garrett the band consisted of Rob Hirst on drums, Jim Moginie on keyboard/guitar, Martin Rotsey on guitar and a changing line up of bassists.
The 20,000 Watts R.S.L. is a collection of their best known songs from throughout their music career non-chronologically sequenced. While some have criticized this mode of sequencing I myself like the way the songs are arranged as the band has a continuity of sound that is not damaged by the essentially random ordering of songs from different periods. The album kicks off with the vaguely electronic sounding ‘What Goes On’ (the only song that doesn’t quite fit in with the other songs). Their well known hits like ‘Beds are Burning’, ‘US Forces’, ‘Blue Sky Mining’, ‘Dreamworld’ and others are included as well as lesser known highlights from their earlier albums such as ‘The Power and the Passion’ and ‘Back on the Borderline’. The songs deal with a wide range of issues ranging from a mining disaster in ‘Blue Sky Mining’ to aboriginal rights in ‘Beds are Burning’ and US military interference in foreign affairs in ‘US Forces’.
These are the songs that have stood the test of time. Unlike most other 80’s music their sound does not seem dated. The songs still retain a sense of immediacy and outrage and are as relevant today as when they were first sung. It is perhaps a sad commentary on the state of our world that this relevance will not be lost for many many years to come. Listening to the machinations of the US military as envisioned by Moginie/Garrett in ‘US Forces’ should send a chill down your spine as what they wrote almost a quarter of a century ago is still being repeated today. Or listen to ‘The Dead Heart’ above and see how the immense wrongs done by the white man to native people all over the world have never been properly held to account and the many promises made have never been kept. Yes, these are songs that can make one’s conscience cringe.
However, one great and unique thing about Oil is that you can enjoy their music without belief in the causes their songs espouse. Their songs can be heard without the left wing message, enjoying them for their pure rocking pleasure. You can even groove to some of their songs. Political and protest songs never rocked so hard and good! So even if you are deeply conservative and think left wing idealists are wimps give this album a listen. You might not be converted to the cause but you will definitely be singing along!
(Note: If you love this collection then seek out their ‘Diesel and Dust’ album, considered by many to be their masterpiece, it is also one of the finest rock albums ever made.)
The publication of a novel by Umberto Eco is a big thing in my universe. After all, his ‘Foucault’s Pendulum’ is one of my all time favorite books. He is a master at mixing the arcane with the ordinary. So it was with a great deal of anticipation that I started reading his latest novel, ‘The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana’. Unfortunately, the book has been a big disappointment.
The book deals mostly with the period of World War II although the main character is said to be living in the recent past. The novel is clearly autobiographical in parts as it reflects the experiences Eco underwent as a child, when he went with his mother to live in a village in the mountains of Piedmont, as well as his experiences of growing up in Fascist Italy under Mussolini.
The novel is about a Milanese old books dealer called Yambo, who loses episodic memory (the ability to recall events) due to a stroke. He wakes up in the hospital to realize that he does not remember anything about his adult life. He cannot recognize his wife, daughter or his friends. However, he finds that he has excellent recall for all the books he has read. He attempts to somehow get his memory back. With that intention he goes back to his childhood home in Solara where he discovers all the comics and records he used to read and listen to as a child during the pre-war and war years. However, he is unsuccessful in recalling anything although he does get to know through the above sources and through his old housekeeper how his life must have been during that time.
One day, in the attic of the house he unearths a sensational find, the First Folio of Shakespeare. The shock of the discovery gives him another stroke and he goes into a coma. In the coma, he begins to discover aspects of his childhood life in the region as well as his adolescent sweetheart whose name he knows but whose face he cannot recall. In the coma, using the literary characters he knows from his comic books he tries to divine her face. Does he get his memory back? Is he successful in recollecting his first big love’s face? Does he wake up? You will have to read the book to find that out but I had stopped caring by then.
The premise of the novel is interesting. The attempts of Yambo to get his memory back by surrounding himself with his childhood paraphernalia are intriguing. Up to this point you are eager to see how and if he will be able to regain his memory. But from that point on the novel degenerates into an infinitely long list of names of seemingly all the comics published in Italy (and in the Western world) during the pre-war and war eras. Mandrake, Phantom, Flash Gordon, Sandokan are some of the familiar names I recognized among a multitude of book titles, characters, villains and mysterious women.
The book has its moments, especially the instances where Yambo likens his memory loss to fog and cites various texts in which different writers talked about fog in different ways. But such moments are few and far between. The rest of the book is unfocused and rambles on from description of one obscure comic book/popular song to another interspersed with liberal sprinklings of how ordinary life was under fascist rule in Italy. The latter wherein Yambo lives through important childhood events again are the only parts of the novel that I enjoyed reading.
Perhaps my expectations had been very high as it was an ‘Eco novel’ or perhaps I could not adjust to the seemingly ‘mundane’ setting of the book compared to the fantastic and many layered plots of his earlier novels. Whatever the reason might be, at the end of the day, I just did not care for what happened to Yambo. And that, according to me, is the greatest failing of the novel. When the central character is cold and distant and you lose all concern for his life and actions you lose interest in the book as a whole. By concentrating more on the peripheral components of Yambo’s life Eco distances him from the reader and this results in Yambo coming across as wooden and aloof.
There is of course an abundant amount of intertexuality, which is a characteristic of all Eco novels. Eco quotes liberally from myriad sources and alludes to a thousand other. Trivia hunters can spend hours annotating this novel. However, in the end, it is perhaps an empty pursuit as the text itself offers no immediate pleasures.
According to some reports, apparently Umberto Eco has stated that this will be his last novel. Even though this book has been a disappointment, I hope he will change his mind and come up with a novel befitting his gift for telling fantastic tales. Tis no hyperbole, the world is a lesser place without the magic of Eco’s words to elevate it!
This is the age of mega-corporations. Corporations richer than some countries, wielding enormous influence over our world. With their power they can and do shape policies that affect our environment and in the end the way our societies function. How did these corporations become so powerful? Why are so many people protesting their rising clout if, as many often claim, they create jobs, increase transparency, efficiency and generate more wealth for a region? Why are corporations caught in the middle of so many scandals, especially in recent years?
These are some of the questions the documentary, ‘The Corporation’ directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott, seeks to look at and answer. It is a huge task to subject as amorphous an entity as a corporation to such close scrutiny and succeed. They do it with style and depth but without sacrificing entertainment values. One innovative tool they use is to treat the corporation as a living entity/person and subject it to basic psychological testing. They look at the myriad ways corporations have tried to take over our environment without giving a damn for the consequences. They look at the lack of ethical values at the core of corporate functioning. They look at the way a corporation is only bothered with the bottom line and not how its actions affect the world around it. And they come to a not so surprising conclusion in hindsight. That the corporation exhibits almost all the classic symptoms of a psychopath.
Interspersed between these analyzes are interviews with various prominent figures on both sides of the fence. From Noam Chomsky to our very own Vandana Shiva, from Michael Moore to Naomi Klein, from the former CEO of Shell to a corporate spy, they talk about their experiences and ideas, on how they view the corporate world and whether the corporations do good or bad. The interviews are fascinating, informative and in the end chilling as we hear one after the other accounts of how carelessly corporations, more often than not, have disregarded or bent the laws for their convenience.
The documentary is slick and very well made but not facetious. I especially liked the cold and almost machine like voice of the narrator. Her voice enhanced the chilling tone of the documentary. The background music is electronic, modern and catchy but fits the subject matter and narration very well.
The film deals with a serious and depressing topic but by including heart-warming stories of people, who have stood up, fought and won significant victories over the corporations the filmmakers end the film on a note of hope. These protesters have achieved that by starting non-violent grass roots movements which brought to light the consequences of the blind greed of the corporate world. And it is that sliver of hope that lets us leave the documentary without being unduly depressed. That there are ways to control and monitor these huge conglomerates that do not care what happens to the world around them as long as their bottom line is in the green. I think this should be required viewing at every school and college in the world. It should be seen widely especially in India where everyone seems to be embracing globalization without any in depth and serious debate on the consequences of implementing such corporate friendly policies on our society and environment. Very highly recommended.
It is hard on a writer when one of his books becomes a popular phenomenon. It is inevitable that all his later offerings will be compared to that which transformed him into a literary superstar. Is the new one better than that? Has he evolved? Is he deliberately trying to write differently to avoid any comparisons with that book? Most authors wilt under such close scrutiny and can never equal their former glory, if we can be arrogant enough to assume that that is what every writer tries to do. Even though Joseph Heller himself stated tongue-in-cheek (he being a perfect example for the case in point), “When I read something saying I’ve not done anything as good as Catch-22 I’m tempted to reply, ‘Who has?’”, there are many writers who break free from such artificial barriers and continue to produce quality work.
Haruki Murakami is one such writer. His fifth novel, Norwegian Wood, became a youth phenomenon in his native Japan when it was published, much to his dismay. So much so that he fled Japan to escape that sudden fame. The majority of Japanese youth (and indeed many in the rest of the world as well) connected with the poignant tale of lost love and youthful sexuality.
However, Murakami did not succumb to the pressures generated by such adulation and lose direction. He continued to write in his signature style, a mixture of pop culture elements and magic realism, written using language so simple that every book of his is instantly accessible. And that is one reason for much of the criticism directed against him as well. That his novels are all MTV style and no substance, easy to read sentences devoid of any deeper meaning. But his writing style can easily deceive. His books might be accessible but they are in no way superficial. Each of his books deals with profound issues, ranging from incest to infidelity. But let us not get into an academic discussion about the profundity of his writing. That is not the purpose of this essay. The purpose of this essay is to talk about his most recent novel available in English translation, Kafka on the Shore.
The novel broadly deals with two characters who are as different as chalk and cheese (excuse me for the clichéd metaphor) but are somehow connected by events beyond this realm. The first character is an adolescent boy who calls himself Kafka Tamura. He runs away from home, and from his father’s dark prophecy. His mother had left him when he was a child along with his sister. He no longer knows where they live or what they do. So he sets off on a bus towards the south of Japan. Little does he know that he is in fact moving closer to his destiny.
The other character is an old man named Nakata. Ever since a supernatural accident he had while in school during the Second World War his mental faculties have been diminished. But because of that he also gained the ability to talk to cats. Later, as an adult, he makes use of this unique ability to take on paid jobs to find lost cats. One day, while on one such search for a cat, he sets off on a journey as well.
On their respective odysseys they run into fantastic characters that could only be present in the Murakami universe. Two WWII soldiers who haven’t aged a day since the war, the mascot of Kentucky Fried Chicken, an androgynous librarian, talking cats and many more such equally fascinating individuals people the pages of the novel.
Each of the characters in the book is battling some kind of personal demon and is trying to make peace with it. And in the process, some set off on long journeys hoping to run away from their fate, some resort to casual cruelty, some remain lost in memories of the past, and some try to help strangers by going out of their way.
Murakami succeeds in taking us into the minds (and understanding the motivations) of the main characters. It is not so much a detailed description but more like the reader being an invisible presence beside every character, privy to his or her thoughts and actions. And there is Murakami’s uniquely own style of magic realism. Everything is possible in his universe. One moment he might be talking about why Beethoven’s Emperor (Archduke) concerto is so special and the next moment he will be taking us to a magical forest which serves as a gateway to another world.
It is a book worth sinking your mind into. The plot is intriguing, the characters memorable and the pacing smooth. If I had to nitpick, I was a little disappointed with the ending. It was a tad too pat and tame as well. Without giving away too much, it was as if, having touched the boundaries of what is acceptable by society, he hesitated from breaking beyond and instead chose to take the safer route back home.
Did that last sentence seem too vague? That was on purpose. To make you pick up the book and read it. Go ahead, I’m sure your imagination will be enriched. Mine was.
There is a lasting value to classic rock records that, even after years of repeated listening, manage to provide a new insight into the artist’s inner thoughts and feelings. A case in point is Nirvana’s live MTV Unplugged album. It is one of the rawest and most nakedly emotional records in rock’s history. An aural testament to all that Nirvana’s front man, Kurt Cobain was going through. The pain exuded through every song is heartfelt and visceral. It was as if the band knew that this would be their last record together. It was Cobain’s open suicide note to the world, in song. It is a record that even now, after all these years, does not lessen its emotional impact, making it one of the few rock records that is difficult to listen to in one sitting. This is not some pleasant background muzak. This is one man’s pain and anguish channeled through songs that retain a grain of infinite beauty at their core. And dare I say it; even celebrate the finer points of life with their lean but not mean melodic tones. It is this essential contradiction that makes this album still as relevant today as it was when it was first released, just after Cobain’s suicide.
After all, how many unplugged records are out there that offer songs from such disparate artists as David Bowie and Meat Puppets, a folk standard, mixed with grunge’s finest moments all in one place? It is difficult to single out one song from a record that is consistently excellent right through, from the opening hope of ‘About a Girl’ to the slightly creepy take on the closing folk standard, ‘Where Did You Sleep Last night?’ But my favorites are undoubtedly ‘Jesus Don’t Want Me For a Sunbeam’, a song by the The Vaselines, Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, and Nirvana’s own raw cry, ‘Pennyroyal Tea’. However, if I had to pick one song it has to be the hauntingly beautiful ‘Something in the Way’, which stripped bare, takes on a new avatar here. It is as if the song is hiding a deep dark secret. Even though, on the surface, it has childishly simple lyrics, they come with a certain morbid fascination attached. And perhaps that’s the reason why it was used with chilling precision to demonstrate the surreal boredom of war in the film ‘Jarhead’.
There is some humorous banter too, in between songs, between Cobain, his band and the audience. He was having fun. Everyone was having fun. But in retrospect it comes across as gallows humor. And that makes the record all the more tragic.
So what are you waiting for? Go on and pop that record in on a lonely and grey evening. It will make you cringe, perhaps even take you to the pits but in the end you will come away cleansed. An out and out cathartic record if ever there was one.
Where does compassion for a subject in one’s novel begin and desire to finish the story end? Is it right to use actual people to write something and hope that they will die soon so that you can finish writing? Do we as a society have the moral right to take the life of another human being even if that person has killed someone? Are we capable of realizing how momentous and irreversible death is?
Writers, I think, are highly selfish people. They live for their craft and characters and usually interact with society insomuch as it often gives them ideas for new stories. To them nothing matters more than getting a story down on paper and most importantly finishing it. They have to maintain a unique relationship with their characters. They have to be honest and caring but detached enough to not get personal and impose their own view on the people in their books. It is this conflict that Capote struggles with as he writes ‘In Cold Blood’, arguably his most famous work.
On one hand he is a narcissistic man in love with himself and on the other hand he has a compassionate heart. He is unable to detach himself from the people who form characters in his book. He wants to finish the book but for that to happen the protagonists have to die. So he vacillates between not helping them find a lawyer so that their appeal against the death sentence cannot go forward and hating himself for being so self-absorbed.
He cannot help himself from developing an affectionate bond with a person who has murdered a family in cold blood. He begins to care for him. He wants to help him delay the inevitable. But deep within all this affection is his selfish desire to be done with the book, a book which he has proclaimed, even before he has written a word of it, as his best. So he struggles to find a moral center, a justification for what he is doing, and he fails.
Philip Seymour Hoffman justly deserves all the praise he has been getting. His is a sublime performance and is one of the best I’ve seen in recent times. He achieves the rare distinction of slipping so much into t
