The Adventures of Sherlock Homes and his Funny Bone!

Watching movies could be the best way to idle away one's time. Movies not only take your thoughts away into an entirely different dimension, they also give you an insight into things you never gave a thought about. More so in the case of mystery, thrillers and fantasy movies. Mystery and thrillers not just keep one's brain engaged they also give you a fantastic adrenalin rush. So, nothing like watching something out of this genre when in blues as that is exactly when you need a distraction and an adrenalin rush to give you the pseudo rush of the happy hormones!

So here I picked this movie based on a character who even in literature fascinated me since a

very young age. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock

Homes could possibly be my first stint with literature. And oh boy did I enjoy it! My fascination led me to buy the books to posses them. And even set hands on the entire collection which I preserve till date. But sadly as age advanced I read Sherlock Homes no more. But I did some research on Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Homes. Like any Homes enthusiast would know I stumbled upon a few facts on Sherlock Homes and his characteristics. So all this grew on me and painted a picture of how Sherlock homes, if alive, would be. A maverick as he would have been, I also pictured him to be a pensive man of a rather austere demeanor with a pipe tightly held between his lips. As many a people have expressed anxiety on his sexual preferences, I would always try and imagine a woman who could excite Homes enough for him to pursue her. Now this is what brings us to this movie.

This is not the first time that Sherlock Holmes is being painted into the silver screen. But there are stark differences from one Holmes to the other. Sherlock Holmes is British and hence is perceived a stereotypical Brit with a crisp accent and clean and disciplined lifestyle. But here the script-writers have taken a creative liberty to portray Holmes as an untidy maverick, who prefers boxing for a stress buster.The movie Sherlock Holmes has a narrative style most suited to literature of the same name. Showing the events happening in it's natural flow and then to go through it again with a proper explanation of things. But my personal favorite were the fight scenes where Holmes starts by analyzing the potential harm he could cause and then going about the act in a jiffy!The movie is no creative marvel. But it sure excites any Holmes enthusiast for the sheer creative imagination and ideation of characters.The movie is all about Sherlock Holmes finding his match. When many Holmes enthusiasts raise questions over his sexual orientation, the movie take a creative liberty of setting things right. Here in the movie, where Holmes obsession over Watson is not hidden, the fact that both have separate love interests is a laudable creative twist to the story.The background scores for the entire movie blends in with ease.Although I don't find many glitches in the movie, neither can I call it a marvelous movie. But the story is sufficiently gripping and has a good flow of events. The most apparent aspect of the movie that sets it apart from the literature is that unlike the literature, it is perceived as a comedy.

First and foremost, Robert Downey Jr. is pretty ugly for what I would have imagined Sherlock Holmes to be. I pretty much imagined Holmes to be a clean-shaved man. But the way Robert Downey Jr. sported a stub bringing logic into the untidiness and erratic lifestyle Holmes has in the literature has fascinated me. Robert Downey Jr. definitely is a breath of fresh air for an adaptation. He succeeds in giving a dash of his personality to the character while retaining the true essence of Sherlock Holmes. Unmistakably, that is true Robert Downey Jr. style where his mastery lies in portraying men the public has an assumption about. He brings to us a Holmes who is not a stereotypical British gentleman, but an extremely erratic intellectual who so much life-like. In Downey Jr. Holmes looses the larger than life package and gets closer to the logic of a viewer. The man shows a controlled acting reflecting the maturity he gathered through his many attempts to come clean. The actor has an amazing chemistry with every other actor he is paired with.This is most evident with Dr. Watson.

Jude Law, who plays Dr.Watson is quite a dish! But apart from that there is no magic in comparison to what Robert Downey Jr. has done to Holmes. But unlike literature, the movie has treated Dr. Watson as an equal to Holmes, if not less. And the way Jude Law carries it off deserves applause. Dr.Watson's medical skills are put to use from time to time, increasing his prominence in the movie. I doubt if Holmes was so evidently against Watson getting married in the literature. But here the relationship between Holmes and Watson is much more colourful and life-like. British himself Jude Law retains the flavor and culture of the nation throughout the movie.
This movie has deviated from the original literature in many counts. But the most significant deviation would be in the case of Irene Adler, Holmes' love interest. Rachel McAdams is absolutely breathtaking for Irene Adler.Although in literature she is the only woman who Holmes takes any interest in, the movie adds character into their relationship.Given that the literature has many discrepancies in terms of the chronological order of the events, the movie follows on and does not give us any time, date or event when the two of them first met. Although it might show us how exactly Holmes was beaten by Adler.i e if the 'beating' is not physical, but intellectual.

 "To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex....”

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Homes

Robert Downey Jr as Homes

The movie urged me to watch the old Sherlock Homes television series with Jeremy Brett as Mr. Homes and Dr.Watson portrayed by David Burke. The whole series was meant for a thoroughly British audience. As a comedian once said..."it was so cold & boring". I do not deny that the television series did more justice to the literature than the movie. But the movie is appreciable as a creative extension of the literature. It suits any viewer, irrespective of their nationality, race or gender. Jeremy Brett embodies Sherlock Homes and, if I might say, immortalises him. But Robert Downey Jr. goes on to add spice to the character making the experience a a brand new one, without losing its flavour.
The movie is enjoyable for the comic timing of the duo and the storyline. Performances have been good but could be better. The script was good and adds to the enjoyability of the movies. Kudos to the team...but I expect you to do better the next time. My hopes stands justifies as the directer, Guy Ritchie has not done any noteworthy movies as of yet.( the reference depends entirely on my discretion!) So I'll be waiting until the next Sherlock Homes movie!

Well Done Benegal!

India has already made it the top of the international Hall of SHAME of corruption. Well, all thanks to one Mr.Kalmadi and his Rs. 4000 worth toilet paper rolls, which still couldn't keep the toilets clean. What an irony! Then came one minister named Raja (jiska baj gaya baaja) whose telephone calls became costlier than his own seat! Lalit Modi's name is not forgotten.(though the news channels seem to have!) But his 'journey' has been 'booked' now! But these aren't just names to be taken. These are epics to be remembered. The whole of the nation looks at them as they are 'epitomes' of corruption manifested. Who isn't aware that asking for/giving a bribe is like spiting on the road side. You are relived for the time being but are degrading yourself in a civic sense. Now this is what brings us to the movie Well Done Abba.

The movie directed by Shyam Benegal is a satirical comedy on the state of affairs in the state. The plot of the movie is very focussed on the system of corruption and does take an obvious dig

at the way the 50% reservation for women in panchayats has turned up. It is no longer a secret that in most of the cases where women are elected they are just rubber stamps of their husbands who

enjoy the power. The movie also aerially touches

on how some Muslim women from poor families are literally

sold off to Sheiks from the middle-east in the name of marriage. Of course there have been movies earlier which have bombarded the social and political issues with satire. But what makes this one special is its simplicity. In no way disregarding the Munnabhai series ( which I thought was splendid!) this

movie takes a similar approach and yet stays loyal to the

central theme, giving the viewer a lot of breathing space. The movie The movie has only two songs and that too sans the thumkas and jhatkas. And yet this is not a grey movie in any angle. It is so Bollywoodish in it's treatment and colour. The reference to the ever-so-sex-hungry

couple would ideally substitute sex quotient of the movie keeping with the theme of humor. (We know how sex hungry Bollywood is!) The movie also has a lot of optimism in it that you wonder if it isn't too much? Not trying to be pessimistic here, but lot of things in the movie simply fall into place. Well, at the end of the day it's a movie and has to sell! After all thats the director's job!

Shyam Benegal has passionately represented many civic

issue on the big screen. Muslim women have for long seen his constant objects of inspiration. In this movie his

admiration of Hyderabad and Hydrabadi muslim culture is very evident as the story does not require for it to happen there. All the characters mimic the dialect with near perfection. Even Telugu is used in one of the songs. The

human perfectionist! The reference to human is to pardon the errors. Now one might want to ask me,"Error, WHO?"

Well, in a particular song sequence, a mother who has just found out that her daughter who has been beaten up by her Sheikh husband, is on her way back to India via the embassy, is found to be rejoicing at her neighbor's wedding. To me it's too hard to digest! That is the only error that caught my lazy gaze. So after Welcome to Sajjanpur (which also did well on the box office!) Benegal must be getting good at comedy. But frankly I do miss the autobiographical Benegal at times. One cannot always depend on Ashutosh Gowarikar for history u see! But the shots at comedy and satire are always welcome. I mean, in a country with Boman

Irani and the likes there shouldn't be any scarcity of comedians who know their craft.

Boman Irani here plays both Armaan and Rehman Ali, the twin brothers.Though twins, both

of them are of opposite temperaments. And hence playing them

convincingly deserves due recognition. He emotes the responsible, kind-hearted and simpleton Armaan Ali and the street smart, deceitful and

irresponsible Rehman Ali with equal ease. The transformation is almost seamless. The Eid scene where both the brothers do away with their differences was the best of Boman Irani. The next best would be the scene where Armaan Ali decides to go on strike for his 'stolen' well and conveys it to the Minister. Here the audience gets a glimpse of the stoic, yet determinant Armaan Ali. Though Boman has a certain air of inactivity in his body language, the subtle mannerisms he introduces for his two characters are relatively similar. He could have been a tad more creative there. But the balance and stability he maintains with his two characters is a spectacle. Armaan Ali's charecter is also well designed to compliment

Muskan's character. (played by Minissha Lamba)

Ten movies old Minissha Lamba got to play a fairly substantial role here. But it is for one to

decide if she rightly utilized it! Yahaan being her first movie, where she was appreciated for her

performance, Well Done Abba was a fairly good platform to re-do the magic. Considering her roles in Dus Kahaniyaan, Corporate and Bachchna Ae Haseeno as those being barely visible, and then those like Rocky-The Rebel, Shaurya and Anamika which themselves were barely visible, this could have boosted her career in serious acting. Not like her stint posing for Maxim India. Nevertheless, Minissha is seen making an effort to get into the thoughtful actress mode lately. Which is not a bad thing to do. So all the best!

The next best thing about the movie was Arif Ali. I call him the eye candy for obvious reasons.

Sammir Dattani, the eye-candy in question, played the hardworking and progressive Arif Ali who falls for Muskan. The guy is the Saviour in the plot but somehow shies away the limelight. The script of the movie calls him physically handicaped as one of his legs are crippled. I fail to

understand which one as our eye-candy here had not taken the 'crippled' part of the script seriously. Not once did i figure out that Arif Ali was crippled until it was mentioned in one of the dialogues. Even after the mention I failed to take note of which leg it was! I wonder if he acted crippled atleast once! Being an actor both in Hindi and Kannada, one can expect Dattani to give if nothing else care to such basic detailing! But that apart, his character started as an eye-candy, grew into the intellectual Saviour of the plot and retained his eye-candy status. Almost as if his character grew, yet a retarded growth.

Rest of the characters of the movieplayed by Rajendra Gupta, Rajit Kapoor,Ravi Kishan, Sonali Kulkarni, all did their small bits perfectly well. Rajendra Gupta did a splendid politician there. He maintained a stoic smile which was fake in ever angle. Totally enjoyable. Rajit Kapoor's Inspector Srikant Reddy was totally pitiable. Mission accomplished!

The movie Well Done Abba becomes all the more relevent today because of the many scams that have been brought out by the media. It is indeed debatable whether in todays media influenced scenarios a 'stolen well' approach would be trivialized or gauged with adequate acumen. Though the movie tries to incite optimism if not in the system, then on the Aam Admi and his power. The idea looks bewitching, yet elusive. But the movie gives no false hope of depurgating the system of all it's malignancy. But it sure opens a hope of a peaceful well being. Hence I rest assured that if nothing happens revolutionary happens to the system (of which I myself am a part), I would get to watch such movies that incite me to think again and think wise!

No Marley for Me...NOT!!!

My uncle has a dog. It's white in colour, with grey ferocious eyes, viciously sharp tooth & claws. It has attacked almost every family member who has ever visited them & played with it. So I do neither play with it, nor like it! I cant stand street dogs. No, not because they are dirty or untamed, but because they are dogs.The only dog I can stand is a pug. (Yes, the ol' Hutch dog) But that too when it doesn't come near me! So note to whoever reads this: I HATE DOGS & I AM TOO SCARED OF THEM!!

But my uncle seems to like them. Particularly his dog. Inspite of being an absolutely lovely person, my uncle would not get rid of his attacker dog, He would take him out, feed him & all.I failed to understand his concern until now. Now that I've seen Marley & Me I am able to reason with his point of view.(click on the title for the synopsis of the movie)To start with, my prejudice against dogs did not stop me from enjoying the movie. Infact, the warmth & the depth of their relationship with the dog, actually moved me.The movie begins with a dog breaking loose it's collar & running away jumping hither thither. This kind of gives you a feel of what's in store for you. Being the exact opposite of a dog enthusiast, I wasn't really keen on watching further. But the way the movie unfolded got me interested. (yea..the cast did help!) Maybe the trailer would help you!

This movie is based on a book by John Grogan

named Marley and Me.And the movie directed by David Frankel is narrated from John Grogan's point of view. The man started off as a reporter,but took off as a feature writer. Marley was his one-point source of articles for a very long time.Grogan's articles were received so well that he wrote the book . Now the man is out with his 2nd book, a memoir, titled The Longest Trip

Home. You can get a whole lot of the John Grogan experience from his website which is a portal to his books and blog.

Being a budding Journalist myself it's a huge relief to know that it's okay to not know what exactly is going to

click for you. It's natural to think that you know what

suits you best and still go wrong.And that something, somewhere will work in your favor (too optimistic?! What can I say..am an optimist!)Infact that goes for not just any profession, but for life!

John Grogan could never tame Marley,though he always wanted to! He tried his best to train him, but in vain! So when not at home, John would never..and I mean NEVER let his leash loose. Owing to his behaviors Marley soon became sort of an impediment for the couple to have a baby, let alone have a vacation. But they worked things out patiently overcoming those rare thoughts of giving up on him. So the puppy unintentionally taught the couple to be patient about relationships. It made me think how difficult it could be to hold on to a relationship. And yet how wonderful it feels to look back at the years well spent. It made me think how easy it is to give up on someone or something. But to hold on to it means a hell lot of love, passion, adjustments and wit. And it's not wrong to adjust as long as it weighs less than your desire to make it work. And that is exactly what Jenny Grogan,played by Jennifer Aniston, does.

Jenny, wife of John Grogan, a journalist herself

wrote for the Post when she got married to John. She was a feature writer there.

As and when their family grew she decided o give up her job because bringing up the family was her priority. Sounds much like a trademark Ekta Kapoor K-series serial doesn't it?(Those of you who are

unaware of the Ekta magic may fondly click on her name.) Jenny relentlessly supports John in his career despite the fact that a career like his was something she had dreamed for herself. And she never tried to fulfill her dream through him by forcing him to do anything. And yes, she was constantly pregnant in the movie.Not once or twice, but thrice.Juggling her time between the three kids and Marley can't be as easy as it sounds. But Jenny manages to sail through all this with some patience, tolerence and a lot of love. To me Jenny Grogan sounded like a true blue bharathiya nari who is often picturised as the one to sacrifice her career for her family. As I may reserve my comments on the matter, this is not the only part I felt was probably larger than life.

The variety of troubles Marley puts the

Grogans through sometimes catched you by surprise. One tends to wonder if Marley was actually 'the world's worst dog'?! There were even some who wondered if Marley's erratic and high strung behavior was due to some psychological condition. There is a scene when Jenny asks John to get rid of Marley immediately. To be frank my heart goes out to Jenny just as it does to Marley at that point. Here is a list of some of Marley's

naughty feats.

• Eating the sofa cushions and every other piece of furniture edible to him.
• Wrecking the couples relationship with all the babysitters, mailmen and sorts in the locality
• Swallowing a necklace John intends to gift Jenny when she was pregnantthe 1st time(It eventually gets gifted..dogs poop u know!)
• Pooping on one of the only beached open to dogs leading the cops to find it out and shutting it for dogs.

But all is not bad. Marley did a lot of good deeds to the family too!Here is a list of those.

• Getting John to realize that it's time to move on with the 'plan' and have a baby.
• Sort of console Jenny when she miscarried their 1st baby.
• Helped John from freaking out when the Grogans actually had their baby.
• Being the same ol' Marley when the whole world was changing around John and he wanted to be grounded.

The biggest grief that Marley could give the family was his death. The columnist John Grogan once said that the most response he got for his column was for the eulogy he wrote for Marley after his death.

So a journalist by profession, it is but natural that John Grogan writes about his experiences with 'the world's worst dog'. But what are the odds that it gets made into a motion picture?! But as OwenWilson(who plays John Grogan) says in the movie, "I have a tendency to surprise myself!" Well, that seems to be the story of his life!(Read John Grogan's 2nd book for reference.)

The trend of the time seems to be making movies from either real life incidents, books or both.

I wouldn't start taking names, but you can just look around

for names!Is it because it's an easier to get a good story that way? One doesn't have to churn their brains a lot for an appealing story. Or is it because we love slice-of-life stories these days?

The best thing about this movie is that you would enjoy it irrespective of whether or not you own a dog. It is about the love and patience that goes into building a relationship. Though humans might not need to have such a hell lot of patience to get to stand one another, it got me thinking that how often we give up on each other. There is little though on why and how we gave up, on be it an idea or a person. But does that mean that we work on impulse? I think not. But just as a Karan Johar movie would say, the heart can seldom go wrong(oh wait! He says the heart can never go wrong. But I beg to differ)

I don't feel the urge to comment on any of the performances except for Marley. The dog who played Marley was fabulous. He really brought out the essence of the movie& the dog. The marvelous actor would be a labrador retriever named Rudy/Brownie. Let us not forget to appreciate his trainer, when we congratulate Marley. So kudos to his trainer Jim Warren who has been in the trade for quite some time now. One cant expect it to be as easy as it looks! Here is this interesting read about training animals in movies. Click!

All this about Marley leaves us with an urge to see the real marvel, Marley. The real Marley acted in a movie called The Last Home Run.

So here's signing off with a thought. A quote from the movie. "How many people can make you feel rare, and pure, and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

Julie, Julia & Me...

What could be the dangers of blogging?

• Self indulgence-Narc-ism to be precise
• Over sharing (in the words of Julie Powell)
• Susceptibility to judgement
• Effects on life..both personal & profession. (imagine what it could do to your love life!)

Given all that, I'm willing to risk it & start

this blog. And what better way to do it than on this movie Julie & Julia (am not going into the synopsis..so if you would like that just click on the title)! The way the movie entwines the life of two women out of the will of one of them is spectacular. The story is about how adoration helps you get out of a stiff patch.

If I might say, the story has quite a number of similarities with the story of Karna from Mahabharatha & how he sought the help of Dronacharya to learn archery.

1. Karna started learning archery assuming Dronacharya as his teacher when Dronacharya had no knowledge of it.
2. When Dronacharya came to know about it, he did not want to consider Karna as his disciple.
3. Both Dronacharya & Karna were good at what they did.

Having said that, there are a hell lot of differences as well.

1. Unlike Drona and Karna, Julia did not want ill of Julie when she came to know of her blog.
2. Julia & Julie never ever, ever met in person.

The story is of Julie Powell, a small time writer who has written a novel halfway & never got it published. So now she starts a blog about her journey through the book Mastering French Cooking by Julia Child.She intends to complete 524 recipes in 365 days. (Just in case you want to buy the book..go on..click!) She hopes it will pull her out of all her earthy mess of having a job she practically hates (really!! does it sound like your story?) and living in an apartment over a noisy pizzeria(ok..thats not something you come across everyday!) Julie is completely floored by the marvel that is Julia Child. Julia Child on the other hand is this feisty woman for whom things worked just perfectly & even if they wouldn't, she would not lose her cool. She would just surf through her stiff patches & make it look so very easy!Julie Powell comes across as a classic narsict who loves to write. She most dearly needs attention ( so do most of us!). So it's not surprising that she chooses to blog about what she loves most-cooking. This story is of two women, who did not start off knowing how to cook, but ended up having that very skill changing their lives .

The fact that Julia Child is so composed & yet full of fun & energy is what grabs us just as it clicks

for Julie. Given my weight issues, a movie about food & cooking doesn't top my priority list! But the movie made me think of how easy & yet difficult it is to get out of shit! All it needs is a little bit of dedication, conviction, thoughts & a deadline. As simple is it to say, if only it were that easy to practice! But come on...if you really want it, you would do it! [for those of you, like me have a weight issue..try this! & let me know if it works. :)] Who doesn't want to do something good..something extra (atleast everyone in movies want to!). That's what gets this movie alive & kicking.

In the movie Julia tries her hand at learning bridge, French until she ends up learning to cook French cuisine. It made me think how Edison

might have felt on his innumerable failures until he turned around and invented the electric bulb! He must have been ecstatic!! So was Julie & Julia when they broke even in their respective own spaces. & so would I when ever I become famous or even successful! [:P]

But when Julie Powell got famous, she missed being acknowledged, let alone liked by Julia. Julie venerated Julia Child. But Julia in turn thought that she wasn't " very serious" and "she just must not be much of a cook". What interested me was that it did not movie Julie a bit. Check it out! In the movie Julie's husband Eric Powell consoles Julie with some of the most comforting words, I though were wonderful!

But I suppose all is not well in Julie's home front now after her second book, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. Something she doesn't share with Julia Child. But just as Julie likes Julia because "she was a woman, not a saint", it shouldn't harm us to give Julie the benefit!

So much for a movie based on real life characters! Meryl Streep as usual proves that man she can ACT!! The way she embodies Julia Child is amazing. It's no child's play to act like someone who everyone knows & admires. And to be honest, this truly Meryl Streep at her best!It isn't for nothing that she got nominated to the Oscars, the BAFTA & won the Golden Globe!

Amy Adams also looks convincing. But to be frank her innocent face did most of the trick & Meryl Streep's performance made her look like a rat in front of a mountain. But that in no way makes the movie less enjoyable!The Powell couple deny any contributions to the movie from their side. And yet the couple is depicted to be very romantic. Just like the Childs'. Artistic freedom taken by Norah Ephron, the writer and director of the film. Nevertheless, I dare not blame Ephron for making the movie experience enjoyable. And of course, this isn't the first time that someone has taken their creative freedom on a piece based on real character and incidents. So alls well that ends well! Bon Apettite!