The next stop...

Headhunters - The Hunt is on

Language - Norwegian | Country - Norway | Year - 2011 | Director - Morten Tyldum

Let’s get some action films from the World Cinema. HeadHunters is from Norway, was termed as next “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

The film starts something like in the film Sodhu Kavvum, five rules that you shouldn't break when you do a crooked job. In this film the crooked job of the protagonist is to steal art paintings. The comparison of Sodhu Kavvum ends here, the rest of the film is full of action chase, blood, more blood, trust-betrayal and a happy ending.

Roger Brown

Plot - **Spoilers ahead**

Roger Brown ( Aksel Hanne), 168 cms tall is a recruiter, living in a posh mansion with his super-model like wife Diana, who is taller than him. He has a second job, stealing art, which fulfills his needs to lead a high-fi life and also to please his wife with costly gifts. Roger and his firm are in the process of finding a new CEO for a company named Pathfinder. Through his wife, Roger gets acquainted with Clas Greve ( Nikolaj Coster Waldau ) from Denmark, a semi-retired ex-army professional, who is in Norway to look after his grandmother’ property. 

Clas Greve

Roger learns from Diana that Clas has a valuable painting in his apartment. He also feels Clas will be a right person for Pathfinder as CEO. As always, in Clas’ absence Roger steels the art from his home, but in the process he finds his wife’ cell phone there. As suspicion grows, he rejects Clas as a possible candidate for the CEO post. 

This is when things turn upside down for Roger. Clas plans to kill Roger. Clas, with all his knowledge in tracking technology follows him. Scared Roger run for his life and struggles to find the reason for Clas to kill him. And the rest of the story is how Roger survives this chase and how he overcomes it.

Diana and Roger

“..I am 168 centimeters. And you know what? That is more than enough.

Directed by Morten Tyldum. The film is adapted from the best-selling Scandinavian novel by Jo Nesbo. Even though we see lots of blood, it is not gore. Most of the time, the story is said in a lighter comic mode and there is no fast camerawork like in chase-movies, the photography is slow and steady.

Aksel Hanne as Roger Brown shows fear in his eyes and his urge to know the truth makes us curious to know “what will happen to him”. The editing and direction is worth to mention, sometimes, a few seconds of flashbacks changes the entire scene. A good director has to make the viewer to feel for the characters whenever they are in a good-bad state/mood, Morten makes us to feel for Roger’ suffering.

Trailer 

It cannot get dumber than this !!

Economic Times, has done it again, this has to be a blooper!!

This column appeared in today' ( 17th Oct ) Chennai Edition.

A brownish daily known for its deep insight views on world of economics has come-up with an amateurish article and also poor reporting. Yesterday the match finished around 10 PM, so they should have reported the entire match, but they just stuck to the Aussie batting and comfortably neglected to report the 2nd half.

When the nation’s cricket lovers are celebrating ODI history’s best ever run chase, ET reported on the news without even mentioning a word about the successful chase.

The writing was so dumb and lifeless, I could have written better, whoever wrote this piece of S%*# lacked penetration.

Read that S%%^ here - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/cricket-australia-pile-up-massive-359/5-equals-highest-against-india/articleshow/24260285.cms

**Other media related posts from this blog**

10 Rillington Place ( UK, 1971 )

 

Language - English

Director - Richard Fleischer

Starring - Richard Attenborough, John Hurt

Country - United Kingdon

Year - 1971

The other day, I was going through the earlier posts in FilmBulb, strange, I noticed that I had not introduced any proper British film ( Before The Rains was directed by Santhosh Sivan from India ). Then, I had a chance to see this film 10 Rillington Place. I took this film, when it came across to it in the filmspotting.net podcast, the show in which they discussed about the book by an author named Robert Elder, book name- The Best Film You've Never Seen: 35 Directors Champion the Forgotten or Critically Savaged Movies They Love.

This film, stuck to the cause of the book by Robert. One cannot label it as “the” best British film, but was good and filled with suspense. The other thing that made me eager to look forward this film was Richard Attenborough ( Director, Gandhi ). He is the main lead and I was kind of “ahhh” when I learnt that he acted as a serial killer.

Richard Attenborough as John Christie

The film is based on a true story, which happened in 1940’s. 

Plot

The film starts in 1944, London, John Christie ( Richard Attenborough ) gives some kind of medical treatment to a women in his house (10 Rillington Place). In the process, he gases her, makes her unconscious, rapes and kill her by strangling. From his outfits, we learn that he is a police. The film then moves to 1949. Tim Evans and Beryl move to the same apartment 10 Rillington Place with their infant daughter Geraldine. The new tenants occupy the first floor, while Christie and his wife are living in the ground floor.

Already in the jaws of the poverty, Beryl learns that she is pregnant. This creates a tussle in the family. Evans doesn't want another baby now. Christie, overhears this issue and convinces the couple that he can perform abortion ( At that period abortion is unlawful in UK ), but he ( Christie ) has other plans. Using his soft speech, Christie informs Evans that this will be a risk and one-in-ten will die. The couples takes a chance, Christie rapes, strangles and kill Beryl. He uses the abortion as the cover-up and softly-threatens Evans that he might be behind the bars, because this process in illegal.

Christie asks Evans to go somewhere until everything is blown over. Evans moves to a nearby town, but within few days he turns to police as he couldn't stand the guilt. During the court proceedings, Christie turns the table to make Evans as the murderer. Court convicts Evans and then immediately hanged. What happened to Christie, did he roam scot-free later is the rest of the story.

“the entire movie is like a Hitchcock template.

Evans Family

As I said earlier, I can't imagine to see Attenborough as a serial-killer, after seeing him as happy-smiling-papa in Jurassic Park. The way in which he portrays the character is soft, but still he creates an aura of horror. He is presented as a Hitchcock'ian protagonist. In fact, the entire movie is like a Hitchcock template. It is not gore, one can't find a drop of blood in any frame. The film keeps us hooked from its suspense.

Some scenes from the film 

Sachin out from his Thavam

Finally, finally, finally Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from cricket this week. You know why he retired, because I wrote about him sometime back. Click here. :-)

We had much talked, debated, fought about his achievements. He is a great and entertaining batsman PERIOD.

Playing cricket or any other international sport for 24 years is not something a normal human being can do. Forget his fitness, which was always in a good shape, I wonder how was he motivated for such a long time. In this age, people get impatient at the drop of the hat, Sachin has performed a Thavam (not religious), I tried to find the English translation of Thavam, but couldn't find one. A close one will be “something which you do or follow your lifetime”. How does he feel mentally so strong, I can’t imagine his mindset, his thinking, his zeal to play cricket year-in & year-out.

“an extra-terrestrial achievement

He almost gave his entire life, just to “hit the ball & score runs”. This is a simplest thing that anyone can do, but to do it for so many years and still making people to chant your name, whenever you walk-in to bat is an extra-terrestrial-achievement.

Most of his contemporaries retired from doing commentary when he just retired from playing cricket.

Thanks for entertaining and making us to count those thrilled moments.

**Note- Above picture collage by the blogger.

Places Where We Are Impatient

Impatient

Adjective - Having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or provoked.
Synonyms – eager, restless, intolerant, agog, restive

Places where we, mostly men (For Women- some female can write guest post) are impatient.

1. First is while driving, a bike, a car or a donkey. We can’t wait for traffic signals to turn green and we jump the signal.
2. While waiting for tea in the Tea Kadai. Someone will take the one meant for you. Enaku vecha tea engee!!
3. While travelling in the bus, once we sense our stop is about to come, we can’t sit.
4. Again, while on road, if someone stops their vehicle in front of ours just for 2 seconds. Honk.. Honk
5. In Cinema Theater, even though we have seats reserved for us, we jump the queue to get inside the movie hall. At the most it will take 3 minutes to get through any crowd.
6. In a restaurant, when you ask for a spoon or a fork and the waiter takes 30 seconds to bring it.
7. In petrol bunks- If we see a queue, 2 to 3 vehicles before us. Again here we jump the queue. At the most it will take 10 minutes.
8. While in home- If you mom comes in front of the TV and marachify your view. Precious 2 seconds gone.
9. While waiting in the temple queue for the darisanam.
10. Again in temple, jump the queue where theertham or prasadam is distributed.
11. We will always try to get into the full loaded elevator, we can’t wait for 2 minutes.
12. Pedestrians, while crossing the road. Some walk as if they are zombies, they see you but they don’t recognize or mind you as a being. And the impatient vehicles squeeze through a narrow space, just like in how Will Smith rides the space-ship in the climax of Independence Day.
13. DVD is stuck or while downloading, if you are seeing a movie in thirituvcd.
14. While waiting outside the ATM booth and if someone is inside counting their hard earned money.
15. To read a lengthy, scribbling like the following post, check this.

Will she win the Nobel Prize ?

Is there a bravest boy in the world? I don’t know, but most believe that there is a bravest girl and her name is Malala. Escaped and recovered from the assassination attempt from Taliban. Having shot by the Taliban, she was taken to UK for advance treatment. The reason for she being shot is she voiced against the ban on girls education in Pakisthan by the local Taliban. 

She is 16 now, not many knew at the age of 12 she was a blogger for BBC Urdu. As per Wiki article, she wrote under a pseudo name. Writing about Rights to Children, women education and dogmatic Taliban laws. Now, fully recovered from the injuries, she is living in UK. By her interviews to the western media, we learn that she has plans to go back to Pakisthan and make some real changes.

“the bravest girl in the world

Rumors in the internet and the media has been circulating that she will win the Nobel Peace Prize. I’m not sure if anyone really knew if she is nominated or not. !

Will she win the Nobel Prize? Well, if Obama can, Malala can win it too. But does she deserve it? What’s your take? 

Where Were You ( I ) ?

I would always associate myself with trivial things, like while I travel in train, I would think, who will occupy this seat, if I hadn't booked it ? This is something of less excitement, mundane and idiocratic thinking. So, I thought let me get into more such idiocratics, like associating myself with big or extravagant events and ask myself “ Where Were I” when the event happened ?, like- when Sachin blowed his nose, oops, sorry, when Sachin lifted the World Cup or some great personality was laid to rest in a violence. 

Indira Gandhi Assassination

It was a perfect day in the middle of the week, Oct 31st - 1984. My class teacher was busy in torturing us in the first period, suddenly the peon came running with a circular. Our Prime Minister is shot and school management in the fear of something big might happen, let the students to go home. Luckily my autokararrr, came back to pick me and my area-chottus. With no TV or live coverage then, radio was the only source, in the afternoon my grandfather ( AIR ) declared, I should say he translated the Hindi from AIR that Mrs. Gandhi is dead. There were hardly any TV’s around my hometown ( Krishnagiri ), I tried to wrestle through the crown in front of the only TV showroom ( Murthy Radios ) to catch the shots of the funeral. 

Gulf War

I was in mid of my schooling in Salem when the Gulf war happened, 1990-91. We never knew the dynamics of the war. We talked about this war in the hostel, most of us concluded that our hero is Saddam Hussian. George Bush, was always our enemy. The frequent question asked was, “Whom do you support ?”, invariably everyone gave the same answer- Saddam, including me. Thinking of it now, I don't know why we supported Saddam. A grown-up cant thinking innocently. There is no rationality in the joke, but still it was laughable then. 

Sometimes, my friends, will pop this question, What’s the name of the TV which Saddam won't like ? Bush TV.

Dissolution of USSR

At that time, 1991, I couldn't understand this event. One thing, I realized was that there is some problem in USSR, which again our favorite country ( Remember, Gulf War, enemy’s enemy is friend ). Also, most will remember this magazine, Misha, which was published from Moscow, our Calcutta comrades were distributing in India. I liked the magazine, but it was stopped after this event. It took lot of years for me to realize the actual happenings in Soviet Union.

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination

I was in Bangalore attending one of my relatives wedding. I think, it was two days after the wedding, May 21st 1991, around 1 AM ( now technically 22nd May ) in the night, my uncle knocked the door, someone opened the door, I was half asleep, I heard him saying “Rajiv Gandhi is killed”, I thought, it was a dream, only to realize in the morning that was real. We were supposed to travel back to my hometown that morning, but as in every death of political leaders the buses were stopped and it was a total shutdown. We were stuck at home for three to four days. I think the schools opened lately after the summer holidays.

1996 Cricket World Cup Semifinals

This happened when I was finishing my schooling. There were endless discussions on who will win the World Cup. Like, Bob Woolmer, wrote the strategy for South African team in Sportstar, we had our ( Me and my classmates ) own strategy for Indian team. Everything went perfect, except this match, our strategy was to win the toss and elect to bat, but Azhar had different plans, I lost hopes when he chose to field-first. When Jayasuriya and Kalu got out cheaply, my mood changed, but it was again shattered with Aravinda making quick 50 to take them for 250+. I don't like to revisit of what happened next, I might cry like Vinod Kambli.

Year 2000 - Y2K

If it was one common topic which was discussed by almost everyone in the planet in 1999, it should be the birth of year 2000. Someone said it is end-of-days, doomsday, someone said planes will crash, trains will collide, TV’s won't work, stock markets will crumble. But nothing happened, on Jan 1st, 2000, the sun rose normally and everything was same.

2001 Gujarat earthquake

This happened on Jan 26th, while I was travelling in train. I was literally in the footboard. It was my final graduation year. Me and my friends were back from Tirupathi, since exams were nearing they thought of praying and shaving their head to get good marks. I went to chumma like a road trip, may be thats why I got an arrear !!. We boarded the train from Katpadi to Jollarpet, the crowd was like can of worms. Back home, when I learnt about the earthquake, it beat the shit out of me, when I imagined what would have happen if the earthquake stuck TN at the time of my travel in the train.

Sep 11 attack on WTC

This event was a blow to the US face, this was like saying in Tamil, munjila en pechangaiya vekka. Then, I never knew this time zone differences. I was in college in Coimbatore, I was walking to my room from the mess hall, it was close to 9 PM IST, I saw a huge crowd in front of the TV. The scenes were horrific, I couldn't believe, an unthinkable has happened and it was real. Someone commented “nalla venum america karanuku”, some said “vechan paru appuu”. Later, I realized life is life, and it must be valued, be it American or Indian.

2004 Tsunami

Finished college, roamed in Bangalore and now started working in Chennai. Just getting used to the Saturday night parties, woke-up with a mild hangover on Sunday. One of my roommate who just entered the room said that the Coovam river is flowing in reverse direction !!. Then we learnt it was Tsunami, a guy who was a Discovery channel addict said “Tsunami in India, no chance”. Sometimes mother Nature is a cruel master.

T20 ICC WorldCup - 2007

In the midst of the these words- Clients, customers, calls, process, documentation, AHT, Microsoft, Resolution Rate, OVS, ODS. I forgot the word Cricket. Until India meet Pakisthan in the final I didn't know the happenings in the tournament. When it came to final showdown of the last over, I ran to the pantry hall, only to find a huge crowd and they were successful in blocking the view, with the cheers I guessed India won. 

ODI World Cup - 2011

This time it was not like the T20 world cup, because we had a big TV inside the work floor. But, when the tournament was nearing to the finals, the TV’s were switched off due internal security reasons. So I thought to taking a leave for finals or to change my offs. I didn't realise Saturday was the final, I took the cab, the cab driver during the chit-chat asked “Sir, innaiku yaru win panuvange”, I gave him a puzzled look saying “Anna, nalaiku than match”. After awhile we concluded that the match is today and due to start in an hour. Hmm. can't turn back now, but surprise in the office to see the TV’s were on !!.

If you had survived till now reading this. Thanks. I can see the blood.

Choose one from top 5 films

People, if there is an alien attack in Tamil Nadu. The reason for the attack is to eat out or destroy our Tamil films made in the year 2000. Aliens give you a chance to preserve one of the below mentioned five films. Which one film would you choose to keep and what is the reason behind it?

My top 5 movies released in 2000, listed in the order it were released,

1. Hey Ram
2. Mugavari
3. Alaupayuthey
4. Vetri Kodi Kattu
5. Rhythm

The above list is my top 5 for the year 2000. Now, why year 2000, this was the year I was really smitten by the cinema, bunking college to see all sort of good and nonsense films. It was a movie marathon year for me.

The other films, which could come as a send set to the top 5 are as follows- Bharathi, Kandukonden Kandukonden, Kushi, Parthen Rasithen and Vanathai Polle. But just pretend about the alien attack, I would like to see your choice from the above Top 5 list.

------Navarathri Golu-----

Nangallum vepomelle.. Edu eppadi iruku.. !!!

People who want to do poojai post it as comments below... :-)

Spying on NSA !!

Hey, you spy on us, I spy on you. The least I can do is to grab the snapshot of your Fort Meade office from Google Maps.

So many cars !, how can this small building accommodate these many people, are there underground bunkers ?

I guess, there is a serious issue of lack of work-space inside the building. 

Due to the cramped work-space employees are prone to make error and the risk of invading a wrong country is high.

**If you wish to say something nice to the people who are working there, post your comments below**