10 Items or Less

I like to catch an indie-flick once in awhile….there’s something about them that appeals to the contemplative side of my nature. Quick-silver dialogue, strong yet quirky characters and a storyline that stretches out like a long unwinding road. And then ofcourse, there's usually a message lurking somewhere in the background. 10 items or Less fulfills all the above and much more......

Morgan Freeman plays a successful actor, pushing 70 (infact, himself most probably!). Doing research for a new role that he may consider, he makes his way to a dead-end grocery store in LA. And there he befriends (or more like gets on the last nerve of) a beguiling yet cranky young store-member, Scarlet (Paz Vega). She works the '10 items or less' checkout lane and is unwillingly drawn into Morgan Freeman’s incessant questions and observations.

When Freeman is stranded with no way to get home, Scarlet reluctantly offers him a ride. And as they drive around the seamier side of LA, they form a bond…a good-old fashioned friendship. In Scarlet, Freeman’s sees himself …a proud, independent loner. He listens to her problems, spouts wisdom and encourages her to take a shot at the big-job interview she’s nervous about. The original big-time 'Hollywood', he’s exhibits an unaffected delight in all the things he has left behind. From retail-therapy to take-out services to connecting with another individual who is so much like him….he soaks in everything. And spits out a lot of his feel-good charm in return.

Morgan Freeman is perfectly natural, wreathed in smiles and curious as hell. For all the gritty and onerous roles he portrays, once in awhile he comes along with light-hearted gems like these. He probes and questions and yet never gets offensive. The feisty Scarlet matches wits with aplomb, the dialogue flows freely and most lines give you something to think about.

I watched this movie on a depressing day. And '10 Items or Less' proved to be the perfect antidote for a sour mood and a grumpy disposition.

.......and the donkey canters home!

History was made….erm, yesterday! (* I know this post is a day late, but what with the flu, and the phlegm and the other nasties surrounding me, I just couldn’t get down to making a decent entry!*)

Barack Obama is now the 44TH president-elect of the United States of America . The first African-American President. Charismatic, intelligent, articulate and bursting with hope, Obama seems to have pushed all the right buttons. And when he made that now-googled-to-death acceptance speech……the swirling masses smiled, cried, cheered and repeated in hushed reverence : Yes, We Can!. A picture-perfect moment, something that will truly, setting all clichés aside go down as one of the most defining moments in history.

Reams of newsprint were dedicated to this event and our good ol’ Times of India was splattered with some choice headers:
- Mubarack Obama
-Dark Knight in White House
-Sultan of the Swing-States
and my personal favourite:
- Out of the bushes, Into the baracks!

This and many more all busy with opinions on the new messiah….wondering whether he will have feet of clay... whether all the promises are kept…whether he WILL restore world order….…and whether this is indeed a true beginning!!

All I can say is that for me, I am happy to witness History in the Making....and the truly fantastic campaign that led up to this moment! Cheers, Mr.President!

Girl Writer : Spies and Lies (Girl Writer, #3)

The travails of 12-year-old writer, Cordelia Arbuthnott continue. Her latest literary gem is “The Girl with the Golden Pun”…the nail-biting spy parody starring Secret Agent 0007 Jane Bond (yes…the younger, twice-as-daring but modest sister of James Bond).And as usual, real-life proves to be more exciting and dangerous.

There’s a new boy in class…Vladimir Vyshinksky.A strange but handsome boy (which explains why most of the girls in Cordelia’s class including Viola turn into a bunch of blithering idiots in his presence), Vlad the Lad is a strident supporter of the environment. But what devious scheme is he hatching under all that righteous indignation?? When a local pool near Vlad’s house is cordoned off due to the presence of harmful substances…..Cordelia’s suspicions are aroused. Thus begins another misadventure of plotting, planning ,spying, climbing up trees, rescuing reluctant cats, falling into mucky waters, and general all-around chaos.

However the third-instalment also deals with serious issues like global warming, carbon-footprint and others of its ilk, all nicely packaged in Ros Asquith's intelligent and humourous style. Cordelia herself, on the threshold of teenhood….manages to ponder over matters far-greater than boys and lip-gloss (as she puts it)…and displays a maturity very in keeping with today’s socially-conscious youngsters.

Contemporary, intriguing and thought-provoking...

Girl Writer: Sleuths and Truths (Girl Writer, #2)

Girl writer extraordinaire: Cordelia Lucinda Arbuthnott is back. The future (hopefully)best- selling author is penning her latest story: a spine-chilling detective novel featuring the shy but sharp Shirley Holmes(younger sister of the eminent Sherlock Holmes).

But carving out a dastardly plot seems to take second place when Cordy decides to have a real-life snoop-session. Best-friend Viola’s father is behind bars for a bank-robbery he never committed (atleast Viola, Callum and Cordy think so). Now it’s upto the three enthusiastic, armed with research sleuths to find out who’s really behind the robbery!! When all clues lead to an eminent multi-millionaire who has just moved back into the area…things promise to heat up.

Another tween-pleaser…the book alternates between the escapades of Cordelia and Shirley Holmes' latest case: The Bat of the d'Ubervilles(which bears more than a passing resemblance to the legendary ‘Hound of the Baskervilles'). And then ofcourse there is the generous smattering of helpul hints for writers.

Funny, light-hearted and right up your alley if you have a penchant for imperfect, smart-talking heroines with well-meaning intentions!

Girl Writer : Castles and Catastrophes

Cordelia Arbuthnott fulfills all the reqirements of an endearing, perfectly imperfect ya-lit heroine:
> She’s twelve years old, looks like a scrawny six year old…but has the wit and imagination of a much wiser, likeable adult.

> She’s blessed with a set of eccentric parents: Howard; the confused, balding teddy-bear and Candice; tall, thin, anxious and the mother-ship for struggling artists.

> Not to be outdone are the family pets: Blue; a goldfish who appears decidedly lonely and craves excitement...and Xerxes, the cat who is perpetually in a state of personal affront and indignation.

> A best friend Callum(..and most probably, future love interest)...whom she’s soon going to part ways with, as they head off to different schools.

> The new scary school from hell “Falmer North” which is full of “hoodies and banshees” …and her subsequent struggle to fit it and find some new, non-scary friends.

> And last but not the least, her one great dream : *To be a writer*…a full-fledged bonafide writer…a writer whose name will hopefully adorn the biggest, best-est selling book of all times!

..and thus begins the saga of Cordelia, writer extraordinaire. The book is in part Cordy’s personal ramblings and part her new novel ‘Lady Of The Rings’. The latter is a medieval romance complete with swooning maidens, moats, galloping princes, finely chiseled manservants and lots of ye, alas, alack, forsooth and woe betide thrown in for good measure. While she’s sure that she has an award-winning romance novel on her hands.....she also has to help Callum with his domestic problems (..... his father is apparently having an affair with a 16-year old from Cordelia's new school!!....alas!!...'n' also...alack!!!).

Cordelia is a lovable heroine…with spunk, insecurity, angst, loyalty and whackiness all in equal measures. Generously peppered with writing tips, the book is a treat for budding writers. The humour flows effortlessly and is in all a fluffy fun read for pre-teens (and adults like me, who are still bemoaning the fact that we missed out on a lot of fine books when we were twelve!!!)

Giving Peace a Chance....

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, and also Non-Violence Day…it was inspiring to read Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s editorial in the Times Of India. While how much of it is practicable, is up to each one of us. Here are a few which I particularly liked:

“Every reader has seeds of fear, anger, violence and despair, and also seeds of hope, compassion, love and forgiveness. As journalists, you must not water the wrong seeds. You have the job of selectively watering the right seeds. You must attempt to tell the truth and yet not water the seeds of hate. It’s not what’s in the story, but how you tell it that’s important” (On being asked by the TOI on what they should do on a day like this)

“You don’t have to run into the future, you have enough conditions to be happy right here and now….the kingdom of god is available for you. But are you available for the kingdom?”

“I am made of so many non-me elements – my parents, the food I eat, the education I received, knowledge gained from others. Take away all the ‘non-me’, and there is no ‘me’ left.”

“We cannot often choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them: that is our real freedom.”

Stargirl

Is she an alien?

Is she home-schooling gone berserk?

Is she sniffing fumes?

These and many more queries surround Stargirl Caraway when she makes her appearance at Mica High. Strumming a ukulele, carrying a rat called Cinnamon in her canvas bag and wearing clothes ranging from pioneer gowns to kimonos she’s as strange as they come. Add to that the fact that she does the weirdest, kindest and friendliest things. She sings birthday songs to perfect strangers, drops loose change accidentally on purpose for l’il kids to pick up, dances in the rain and laughs over no joke in particular!!

For the dull-as-ditchwater student body, she is something that they cannot grasp. Indefinable, quirky and kooky. But her eccentricity weaves its way into their hearts and they are soon doing selfless gestures of their own. Especially enamored is the 16-year old narrator Leo Borlock. A wary reluctance on Leo’s part gives way to mutual attraction. Soon they are a couple and he faces a lot of ribbing (not always good-natured)……even being termed as Starboy!

Stargirl is selected to be a cheerleader …and she does so in the truest sense the word. She cheers unabashedly for her team, the spectators…and then she goes one step further and cheers for the other team too. This sours things drastically and Stargirl’s glorious run takes a downward curve.

Admiration quickly gives way to hostility. The now openly shunned Stargirl is unaffected, but Leo suffers the backlash too. He is not used to be treated as an invisible entity. He attempts to change his girlfriend..make her more normal, run-of-the-mill. And she does change....for him. She even takes up her original name: Sarah Julia Caraway. But the antagonism never wanes, …and soon she reverts to her old self……her old, unique, individual self.

The beauty of this book lies in the prose. Simple and lyrical, it conveys an age-old message in the purest way possible. Stargirl Caraway may appear to be a ditzy bohemian girl…a throwback to the 70s Flower-Power era even. But her thoughts are clear, concise and loaded with truth, which is not always easy to swallow. Even Leo at the height of his young love described her most accurately: “She was bendable light: she shone around every corner of my day” .

She takes Leo (and us) into a world that can be good, kind and uncomplicated…..if we only tried, without fear of mockery and recrimination.

It's a tale about well-intentioned non-conformity. A tale about holding your own in a sea of similar faces. A tale about being a fruit-loop in a box of cheerios!

Mamma-Mia!

20-year old Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried) lives on a picturesque Greek Island Kalokairi (actually Skopelos) with her single mother Donna (Meryl Streep). Sophie is about to be married to her sweetheart Sky, but the one dark spot in her perfect picture is the absence of her father. Snooping into her mother’s twenty-year old diary draws up three possible candidates :Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Harry Bright (Colin Firth) or Bill Anderson (Stellan Skasgård). So she promptly gets the idea of inviting all three to her wedding, to find out who her real dad is. What ensues is a Greek Tragi-comedy with blunders, misunderstandings and discoveries all unashamedly adorned by ABBA’s popular numbers!


A musical which must be watched if you like

-*ABBA* or would settle for reminiscing about ‘dem good old days...
- Meryl Streep, the eternal bohemian having a middle-aged blast withj her girls; scatty Rosie (Julie Waters) and three-time divorcée Tanya (Christine Baranski).
- Pierce Brosnan looking dishy as ever in the classic white-shirt and dark-trouser combo(…although, whether he can carry a tune in a bucket, is up for discussion!) and the dapper Colin Firth who looks unfailing British and out-of-place as he can be!

- intense ultramarine seas, an island shimmering with lazy sun-rays, the tang of salty-air, red-faced locals and houses that appropriately capture the essence of all things greek and melancholic.


If you are perfectly okay with people breaking into song 'n' dance at the drop of a hat....then go watch the movie, mouth the lyrics, shimmy and make a sea of jazz hands! Sun-kissed and bursting with good cheer, this is another promising mood-lifter.

A Prisoner of Birth

As a friend very rightly put it…'A Prisoner of Birth' has all the makings of a Bollywood Masala Movie.

Danny Cartwright, a humble East-End mechanic has just proposed to his childhood sweet heart Beth. He decides to celebrate by treating his fiancée and best-friend Bernie Wilson (who also happens to be Beth’s brother) at an upmarket bar ‘The Dunlop Arms’. Also present at the bar, are a drunken party of four men, who started passing lewd comments at Beth and raise Bernie’s ire. Despite Danny’s protests, the two parties decide to take the fight out into a back-alley..and what follows is something that changes Danny’s life forever.

Danny is charged with the murder of Bernie……a crime he never committed. Despite the best efforts of his able lawyer, the young and relatively untried Alex Redmayne ……Danny is sentenced to twenty-two years at the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison. After all who would take the word of a grubby mechanic over a stalwart quartet of an upcoming barrister, a leading actor, a member of the aristocrat and the youngest partner of an established firm?

Danny’s long sentence is made bearable due to his two cell mates: Nicholas Moncrieff, who looks and behaves more like an officer than an inmate. And running-more-true-to-form, the rough and rugged, heavily-built Big Al. Nicholas bears a startling resemblance to Danny and herein lies the crux. When Nick is accidentally murdered, just a few weeks before his release…Danny (with careful mechanisations by Big Al) walks out a free man…as Nicholas Moncrieff. "Act like Nick.Think like Danny." Constantly keeping this in mind……Danny launches into an intricate and well-planned revenge.

A page-turner with certain implausible points. Look-alike Nicholas Moncrieff seemed to be aware from the beginning that his identity was for the sole-purpose of being used to prove Danny’s innocence. He trained him in all the niceties and etiquettes which a Moncrieff should exhibit in genteel society. He educated Danny and even conveniently maintained well-transcribed diaries which proved to be valuable evidence in the later trials. A post-Belmarsh Danny appears to lead a charmed life. All the people he hopes to have on his side, unflinchingly accept that he is indeed Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, never once cross-checking the fact.

While Danny Cartwright is a likeable hero, his transformation from the wronged East-Ender to a polished and articulate businessman is a little too good to be true. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the cast of supporting characters: Big Al, Alex Redmayne’s father; rt. Hon. Sir Matthew Redmayne KCMG QC, who handles Danny’s case in the end…and ofcourse, the wise Scottish solicitor Mr.Fraser Munro.

I particularly liked the miniscule speech Mr.Munro gives towards the end of his testimony:

“I have discovered with advancing years that few things are entirely black or white, but more often different shades of grey. I can best sum it up, My Lord, by saying that it was an honour to have served Sir Nicholas Moncrieff and it has been a privilege to work with Mr.Cartwright. They are both oaks, even if they were planted in different forests. But then, m’lord, we all suffer in our different ways from being prisoners of birth”.

In all, an interesting saga with an Indian tadka...

Five Go Down To The Sea (Famous Five, #12)

Five Go Down To Sea was no great shakes from the adventure-mystery point of view… A strange light flashing in a ruined tower -late night wanderings -suspicious characters -getting locked up -escaping - AND -ultimately tying up all the loose ends.

I primarily liked this book for three characters:
Mrs.Penruthlan : the bustling, jolly l’il house-wife whose main aim in life was to cook and feed everyone who came under her motherly wings. So Blyton indulged her love for the good ol’English food to the hilt. There were glistening hams, tureens of new potatoes gleaming with melted butter, drop-scones, cherry tarts, lashings of hard-boiled eggs, pickles, sauces, trifles, jars of cold creamy milk and what have you!! One of my earliest memories of a comfort-phrase was “a larder crammed with food”!! *s-igh*

Mr.Penruthlan: The tall, magnificent farmer.....dark as a sunburnt Spaniard. Larger than life, he was an intimidating figure. His unique quirk was his inclination to speak in weird mono-syllables like Ah…Ock, thanks to his tendency to go without his set of false teeth! The Five couldn’t figure till the end if he was one of the bad guys or not.

Yan’s granddad: I liked the way Blyton gave a description of the old shepherd. It went: “He wasn’t very big, and he seemed shriveled up, like an apple stored too long. But there was still a sweetness in him, and the children liked him at once. His face had a thousand wrinkles that creased and ran into one another when he smiled. His shaggy eyebrows, curly beard and hair were all grey, as grey as the wooly coats of the sheep he had lived with all his life”.

And then ofcourse there was Clopper, the comical stage-horse who seemed to have a life of it’s own...the surly Guv’nor and the gay and happy bunch of performers…who all belonged to the almost-vaudevillian group called “The Barnies”.

Simple plot….interesting characters…and tables groaning under an assortment of delicious eats! Blyton at her predictable-best.