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51. Price of Oil !!

Long gone are the days when wars were fought for PRIDE ,HONOR ,LAND ,WEALTH & EVEN WOMEN ,these days the war that is fought is more or less focussed on a commodity called "OIL" which virtually runs our entire planet.

Obviously such a needed commodity has a price but its not the monetary price alone that needs to be looked at but also the human price thats paid.


People always look at the middle east an an unstable region with the stable countries heavily relying on its western counterparts to take care of their security alas there is one point which never makes sense at all ,why are the richest Arabic countries armies dependent on a foreign entity for its security ,are they not able to form an army or are they forbid from maintaining one ???


PLOT :
" A political saga that throws light on the politics behind the shady PETROLEUM POLITICS. "



A WARNING TO ALL THOSE WHO EXPECT POPCORN TYPE ENTERTAINMENT ,THIS FILM IS DEFINITELY NOT SUITED FOR THOSE KIND OF AUDIENCE.


True to the above spoiler ,
Syriana is one of those films focussed on the oil crisis in the middle east however this is not another run of the mill story of action & drama ,this film will certainly enlighten those unaware of PETROLEUM POLITICS.

Written & directed by
Stephen Gaghan of Traffic fame ,the film operates on multiple ,parallel storylines that has the audience hooked from the very beginning ,you need to have sincere attention to comprehend the happenings on screen.

With an ensemble cast its easy to loose focus but
Stephen Gaghan has just proved otherwise ,i like the working pattern of hollywood stars who have no qualms in multiple starrers unlike their Indian counterparts especially in South Indian film industry.

Casting of
George Clooney ,Matt Damon ,Jeffrey Wright ,Amr Waked ,Chris Cooper ,Amanda Peet ,William Hurt ,Christopher Plummer ,Tim Blake Nelson ,Alexander Siddig ,Mazhar Munir was one of the best assembled cast.

Each & every cast had a role to play which in itself was not easy considering the depth of each character in the film ,they had definitely done their homework to ensure justice to the screenplay.


I especially loved the roles of
George Clooney ,Matt Damon ,Alexander Siddig & Jeffrey Wright ,do watchout for them for its so memorable to see them perform in the various roles ranging from a secret agent ,to a Prince who is willing to take extra effort to make his country a prosperous one.

Music by
Alexandre Desplat provides the film with an ample dosage of whats required during the various pressure points in the film ,the authentic feel of middle was also a treat to hear.

For a film on such a complicated backdrop the editing work by
Tim Squyres stands out ,the audience are lead on the right track from the very beginning & are able to feel with the characters.

Political dramas based on real incidents offer the audience to look at things in different perspectives & enable them to understand the real happenings in the world today but its a sad fact that most films in this genre especially in our country face opposition from political parties who are entangled in the many scams.


Syriana only provides glimpses on the happenings behind the shady mergers ,assassinations & many terrorist attacks taking place due to OIL ,these all just form a small percentage of whats a much larger conspiracy thats happening so that we don't come to know the true PRICE WE PAY FOR OIL !!!

  • Rating : "PG" for some scenes of violence & language.
P.S : " Syriana is a term used by Washington think-tanks to describe a hypothetical re-shaping of the Middle East.
Harrison Ford was the original choice to play role which eventually went to George Clooney,but he turned it down. He later told a magazine that is one of the few movie career decisions that he has regretted."

50. Leader or Politician ???

Lets take a look at the definitions for a Politician & a Leader ...

Politician - A politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest, right of inheritance or other means.

Leader - Leadership is stated as the "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task."

Gandhi is an example for a Politician & Netaji Subash Chandra Bose is an example for a Leader ,so given an option to be anyone of these two people ,who would you choose to be ???,

A Politician called Gandhi who butchered the Indian nation using his policy of DIVIDE & RULE or to be the charismatic Leader namely Netaji Subash Chandra Bose who fought for the cause of a unified nation ?????

PLOT : " A reluctant son of an assassinated politician takes up his father's role as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh only to learn that he cannot be a Leader & a Politician at the same time. "



Since this was my 50th post i was just pondering for a looong time as to what movie should i be writing on ,there are lots & lots of great movies i still need to write on but when coming to this post i was left searching ,all my of search did not end in vain for i just found the apt movie.

Leader written and directed by Sekhar Kammula just swept me off my feet ,out of all commercial films about politics & its backdrop ,this film brings about an enlightening portrayal about our paralyzed system called Democracy.

The director has touched upon many issues in the film that depicts the sorry state of affairs thats happening in our country.Kudos Sir ,you have done justice to the genre of Political drama.

Lead role by debutant Rana Daggubati was simply superb ,its a dream launch pad for the tall & handsome hunk who has what it takes to make it big in films.I was so very impressed with his attitude & body language ,hoping he does more meaningful films rather than take the commercial route.

The rest of the cast includes debutant Richa Gangopadhyay ,Priya Anand ,Suhasini Mani Ratnam ,Harsha Vardan & other prominent actors ,after a long time i has seen so many actress given pivotal roles in one film.

Richa Gangopadhyay ,Priya Anand & Suhasini Mani Ratnam were splendid in their performances ,debutant or experienced didnt matter ,they all utilized their meaty roles effectively ,its something which has proved be a major advantage for the film.

Music by Mickey J Meyer was very potent especially in the background score ,the songs & the background score gelled well with the flow of the film ,never hampering its progress.

Cinematography by Vijay C. Kumar & editing by Marthand K Venkatesh were crisp & racy ,its a team effort that was able to pull this film off so convincingly.

The lead role's dilemma to be a Politician or a Leader was well etched out by the director ,at times we see glimpses in the film of how even a honest bureaucrat turns rogue thanks to our pathetic system of democracy.

Hope is one thing that people expect for in this corrupt world but all this hope will be only in vain unless something is done about the the way we let ourselves be governed ,we don't need people with election manifestos & false promises ,we need an able person ready to come down to the needy ,work with them ,share their pains & give them hope ,so what do we need a LEADER or a POLITICIAN ???

"Its Better That Power Lies in One Capable Person Rather than Distributing it Between Fools."

  • Rating : "U"
P.S : " Rana Daggubati is the nephew of actor Venkatesh.He is also the nephew of Nagarjuna Akkineni, and his cousin is also a movie star known as Naga Chaitanya. "

49. Assassinations

We are very familiar with the word "ASSASSINS" as many historical & legendary figures were killed by them but more often we overlook certain facts & events that lead up to an assassination.

Like everyone knows
Nathuram Godse assassinated Gandhi yet not many know the motives behind this assassination ,is Godse a terrorist or religious fanatic or an assassin ???

For me ,
Godse was the single most important person who cleansed India of the virus named Gandhi ,If you call Godse a murderer then what do you call Gandhi who single handedly was responsible for the massacre of lakhs of Hindus & Muslims due to the Partition of India.

If you still support
Gandhi's views then read this here & Godse's speech here.

PLOT :
" The film chronicles the events plotted by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country."



I was initially hesitant to watch the film because of my preconceived notion that this film would be a drama & i was in no mood to watch a drama film that day but all of that notion vanished when i watched the trailer.


I was so crossed with myself once the movie got over.Damn !! How did i miss this film in the theatres ,the pace of the film was so very gripping that we are never made to loose focus at any point in the film.


Directed by
Bryan Singer of "X-Men" fame ,the film transports the viewer to 1944 Germany in an authentic way ,the properties ,the gadgets & the planes all gave & enhanced the 1940s feel to the film.

Even though the film was based on actual events its upto the writers to present it in an appealing way & writers Christopher McQuarrie & Nathan Alexander have provided the director with the right kind of script that has the essential dosage of drama ,action & thrills.

The script is the major player here ,i still cant think of a single scene that affected the flow of the film.The actors gelled with the script enabling the viewers to feel the emotional moments that they go through.

Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg has given a stellar performance which serves as the crux of the film ,even his uncanny resemblance to the real Stauffenberg was an added plus.

The rest of the cast includes
Kenneth Branagh ,Bill Nighy ,Carice van Houten ,Eddie Izzard ,Terence Stamp ,Tom Wilkinson & Thomas Kretschmann who were all splendid in the roles they enacted.

I have missed out many characters here but full credits to all the cast who have brought out a thrilling movie ,the film still holds its sway on the audience in spite of these many characters .


All the credits go to the director & writers for achieving this distinction ,all in all the movie serves as a testimony to the valiant efforts of the German army officers who risked the lives of themselves & their family.


Assassinations most times change the course of human history but whether the change is for the good or bad depends upon the time of the assassination ,sometimes these assassinations happen a tad late that change the face of a world or country.

But the moral side of the assassinations are never heard or covered up by the respective governments ,as
Nathuram Godse said on his final speech on court "My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism levelled against it on all sides. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future."

  • Rating : "PG" for some scenes of violence.
P.S : " Germany has strict laws against displaying the swastika, though artistic displays are specifically exempt. Filmmakers usually use incorrect swastikas to avoid causing public outrage. The producer wanted swastikas for authenticity, so the crew posted warnings around the filming locations. Still, a local resident filed an official complaint with the city, who pressed charges against the owners of some filming sites. "

48. Latter Stages of Life

What are the things which we all strive for in our Latter Stages of Life ???

  • A hefty pension every month ?
  • Happy moments with the entire family ?
  • Love & affection from the family ?
Or
  • Plenty of hard earned rest ?
All of the above would suffice but there's one most important thing that stands tall.

Respect ,yes ,its the utmost important thing which makes the Latter Stages of Life a living paradise or a unimaginable hell.

PLOT : " A retired widowed war veteran learns he has more in common with his Hmong American neighbors than his very own estranged family. "



Clint Eastwood ,yeah you heard it right ,a powerhouse performance from one of cinema's living legends ,this is just the third film i had seen in his direction & each time my respect for him increases.

His role as a retired widow war veteran is one of the most memorable characters i have ever seen ,his attitude & body language is something to cherish here.He stands apart in a league of his own with films that have a lasting effect on the viewer.

The director of the film ,Clint Eastwood ,has effectively portrayed the plight of people in their old age especially how it affects them mentally.How a family gets estranged is also neatly captured leaving a sympathetic feel for his character.

There are three other main characters in the film being the neighboring girl played by Ahney Her ,Bee Vang as her younger brother & last but not the least a 1972 Ford Gran Torino.

Ahney Her was a real live wire in her role who coaxes Clint to come out of his shell of hatred & loneliness ,Bee Vang as an innocent fellow seeking the guidance of Clint was also an apt choice for the role with his innocent looks.

The sister & brother combination of Ahney Her & Bee Vang make up an adorable family of Hmong American whose culture & traditions form the crux of the film.

Crux in the sense that these people who respect their elders such that Clint who has an estranged relation with is family starts feel at home with them.

The other cast of Hmong American's along with Christopher Carley form the rest of the cast who essay their roles effectively.

The film showcases the life of people at their old age who are more often than not ignored by their children ,how they are torn apart by their children seeking their property & belongings & the way how their grand children serve to be a bane on their already stressed life.

No matter how our present lives turn up ,its the concluding part of our lives which decide whether our lives were worth treasuring or cursing.Gran Torino gives us glimpses of such moments that form the Latter Stages of Life.

  • Rating : "PG" for some scenes of violence & strong language.
P.S : " In box office terms, the most successful Clint Eastwood movie ever, both in the U.S. and the U.K, but not with inflation. "

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