~*~Grace is Gone~*~ Left over there is felt over here~*~

Few days back, when I was looking for some war movies on a DVD store, i was handed over this movie saying it to be a very nice one. At that time I was not able to read the plot on the DVD as that part of cover was torn away. When I started watching this movie then I was flabbergasted to see that this is not a real war movie as DVD store caretaker told me. For some time I was disappointed but as soon as movie went on I was lost in the perfect blend of human emotions.

Plot: "Grace is Gone" is a film that depends entirely on whether you feel empathy for its characters andattempts to address their grief frankly, gently, and without didacticism. The story is quite simple and it goes as: When a father learns about his wife’s death during Iraq war, he does not have courage to tell his two adolescent daughters about their mother thus he decided to keep it a secret and takes them on a road-trip to a Children Theme Park, but as the trip continues the eldest daughter realizes that her father is hiding something from them. The journey that started as flee from veracity soon divulges itself as a man’s way of coping up with his wife’s loss and finding the guts to tell his kids that their mom is gone.

Acting:

John Cusack (as Stanley Philipps): Oh!!!!!! Who else than Cusack can fit in the role of Stanley Philipps wearing thick glasses, walking with an unsynchronized pace and having his own little presentiment and premonition? Cusack disappeared into an everyday average Joe kindda character with such tenderness and compassion and portrayed this gawky, physically ’small’ and fumbling tense and hunched man and a suburban father who is dealing with her wife’s death. A few moths back I watched “The Martian Child” where Cusack played a role of a brokenhearted widower raising a troubled child on his own and I was amazed of his ability to play the role of a troubled heartbroken father but here he came more strongly in this Sundance Audience Award-winner.

He loves his country and to serve it he tried to cheat his way into the Army, where he met his wife before he was thrown out for the poor eyesight which he tried to conceal. He believes in Bush administration and the Iraq War but still do not know how to explain to his children that it robbed them of their mother? His acting was flawless, I was left speechless when he gives call his home only to hear her wife’s voice over the answering machine and plead with her for answers for his questions, for a way to tell the girls.

Shelan O’Keefe has done full justice to the character of Heidi whose own expedition is equally complex, she observes her father and uncle arguing to define themselves and she doubt that how her mother survive with a world of men in Iraq war. She is not only a rebellion (a secret cigarette smoking in motel parking lot, a brief fling with an older boy) but she also know her responsibilities towards her younger sister Dawn. Hovering on the edge of teens, she’s just old enough to suspect that something’s terribly wrong and his father is hiding something, but still has enough of a child inside her to get fleetingly seduced by Cusack’s capricious, desperate distractions. Even in her first movie, she proved herself as a remarkable actress, giving her best to her role when it comes, and holds her own against Cusack very well.

Where as Gracie Bednarczyk played the role of bubbly Dawn and in my views she was just being herself, injecting much needed effervescence to counter the heavy drama that circulates throughout the movie. Their acting was like real sisters, fighting with each other for small things, irritating their father by asking "are we there yet" every 10 seconds. Amazing performances.

Alessandro Nivola (Remember him??? Naah?? Ok ok he is known for Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the Goal! Trilogy) also turned in a rather short but nicely performed role behind that heavily bearded appearance as the brother of Stanley and the children’s uncle who distrusts the U.S. government.

Direction: Writer-director James C. Strouse, besides capturing some predictable but yet really moving scenes in the movie and plot, also managed to slip in a comment or two about Iraq war and the truth behind it. And the best part is that politics aren’t really argued much in the movie, at least not that much as I thought that was going to be and remain as distinctive truism of family members conflicting in viewpoints and trying to get their own point right and apart from the cause of death, the war was never really mentioned. The best part is the screenplay which holds the gripping drama with a sense for small details over grandiose statements and successfully fulfills Strouse’s sole objective to study the extreme grief Stanley suffers. The best scene is when Stanly tells the girl the truth, the musical score comes up over the voice and you wouldn’t be able to hear thing he says but one can easily see it on the children’s’ faces and their eyes. A really influential scenethat will remain with you for days, if not weeks.

Scores: Read these

"I could never love again, so much as I love you

where you end, where I begin, is like a river running through

Take my heart, take my eyes, I need them no more

If never again they fall, upon the one I so adore...

Excuse me please, one more drink,

Could you make it strong?’Cause I don’t need to think,

She broke my heart My Grace is Gone,

Another drink and I’ll be gone

One drink to remember, Then another to forget

I think of every day to find, A love like you again"

The music of this movie was captivating, poignant and evocative, especially the background scores which displays the emotions of the characters. Score “Grace is gone” was nominated was nominated for Best Original Score-Golden Globe Award.

My verdict: I wrote this review a long back but some how failed to post. But yesterday, after watching “Heroes” and reading Manjit’s take on it, I decided to post it. Grace is Gone comes as a very intense film which gets unfolded in an ironically inconspicuous style all through and attempts to tackle angst forthrightly, tenderly and without any didacticism and it largely succeeds to achieve it. Instead of hovering a lot on the moral questions of Iraq war movie concentrates on its characters and find its answers on sensitive uncertain faces of O’Keefe and Gracie. If you need another plus point for this, then it will be the scores by Clint Eastwood (yes, I was totally surprise when I read the end credits) interspersing the story painstakingly when and wherever required. This one is not a feel good flick in which everyone goes home with a smile on at end but it offers a pragmatic depiction of regular people coping with a very harsh reality. And is tribute to soldiers who fight and sometimes die for their country and for the families of those who wait for their return; when sometimes the waiting is in vain. I will give 4 out of 5 stars. Grab it...

P.S. In the name of peace, They waged the wars, Ain’t they got no shame ~Nikki Giovanni

~*~ThE EnD oF Mr. Y~*~

What are you going to do when you found a book with a line on the cover saying “This book is cursed”??? Well, I don’t know about you but this tagline caught my attention and I ended up in reading that thought provoking and mind churning book. But to be true, this one is among one of the toughest books I have ever read with so much of metaphysical stuff that I my poor brain struggled a lot. See “Not only is nothing good or ill but thinking makes it so, but nothing is at all, except in so far as thinking has made it so” So what do you think now???? The novel is an avant-garde look at 19th-century philosophy combined with the fervor of a sci-fi novel and the deepness of a most astounding expedition of self-introspection and discovery.

The book: The cover of the novel is the best I have seen in years with pages edge being black, and the cover having a psychedelic twirl of intricate black calligraphy on a haughty red background (see the pic) and with a shadow on last page that kept me attached to the novel to know who the shadow was on the back page. Hey that is not all, the weirdness of the content of this ingenious novel will not disappoint you while taking you into an unforeseen exciting and riveting contemplation experimentation through the mysterious world of the Troposphere.

The Plot: The novel is story of Ariel Manto, who is conducting research into a 19th century author Thomas Lumas, one of whose commercially failed books, The End of Mr Y, is alleged to be cursed as “anyone-who-reads-it-will-die”. But this book seems to have disappeared from existence along with everyone who ever had its copy. During a sudden visit to asecond-hand bookshop, She finds out a copy of The End of Mr. Y which starts with “By the end of this book I will be nothing, but for the time being you can call me Mr. Y.” and tells the quest of Mr. Y and his unearthing of Troposphere (an alternate world where the visitor can travel through time and space and able to enter the minds of other people, and access their thoughts and memories), that could be only be reached after consumption a meticulous mixture. Somehowshe managed to prepare the mixture, swallowed it, stared into a black dot and is transported into the Troposphere in her quest for the truth and where a jigsaw puzzle begin to unravel. This cursed book brings together a strange mix of people as Apollo Smintheus (Mouse god), ex-CIA agents and an errant Jesuit priest who are wholly disengaged and yet essentially associated in another sphere. But soon she finds that the knowledge she now holds could put her own life at peril and she sets out to find Saul Burlem, her lost PhD advisor, who may be the only person left who can save her.

Who was Mr. Y.??

What is troposphere??

Is she able to save her life???

Will Apollo Smintheus and Saul Burlem help her??

To know the answers read the book.

Characters: The main story is constructed around Ariel Manto, a young PhD scholar living in mouse-infested freezing apartment, whose thesis counselor has inexplicably absent just after her joining, she is visiting a married professor for sex which is a source of income rather than an expression of love. But, her ultimate passion is reading and she says “Real life is physical. Give me books instead: Give me the invisibility of the contents of books, the thoughts, the ideas, the images. Let me become part of a book; I’d give anything for that.” And that was the reason that after getting a copy of The End of Mr. Y, she rushed home with mixed feelings of fear, wonder and intrigue and despite of the curse she read it to know the truth. Her journey to the troposphere, which started in scarcity, lure and craving finally get converted in form of reality, love and above all trust.

All other characters (Saul Burlem-Her lost PhD advisor, Adam-Her 2nd Boyfriend, Apollo Smintheus- The mouse god and denizen of the Troposphere) were built around her character and help in generating various subplots.

The Author: The author Scarlett Thomas was named as one of the twenty best young British writers in 2001 and Writer of the Year at the 2002 Elle Style Awards and after reading The End of Mr. Y I know the reason. This one is an absorbing concoction of page-turning-mystery-mixed-philosophical-religious ideas. The best thing about the novel is that it doesn’t hold back and drag out the suspense to a point where it looses its grip. It is like reading Darwin’s work mixed in Robert Louis Stevenson novel; metaphysics supported with logic and fact and is a perfect mix of genre as romance, felony, assassination, science and mathematics, faith, philosophy, psychology, spirituality, self-loathing and honesty. Despite being relied mainly on history, philosophy, religion and physics no-where it seemed a dull commentary, be it description of 4th Dimension or Apollo Smintheus or gedankenexperiments.

Facts I liked: The best part of the novel is the deep and profound theme based on the ideas borrowed from Derrida (Algerian-born French philosopher famous for Deconstruction theory), Heidegger (German philosopher famous for Being and Time) and Samuel Butler (iconoclastic Victorian author famous for his takes on The odyssey), the natural world of realism, the influence of faith and even the conception of life itself. Besides, the first person narration allows the reader to empathize with Ariel and it also left some loose ends for developing other characters.

Facts I disliked: This book is the toughest book I have ever read, be it the dialogues or the words or the quotes used in the book. See a few examples “The matter of which man is a cognizant escapes the senses in gradation” and “in any place that I take flight, the dark will mutate into light”. Besides, the explanation of Darwin’s theory, The Odyssey, Schrödinger’s’ cat, Relativity theory was a bit hard on my small mind and through out the book I have to Google them to know more and more. The language is coarse and the central character finds it hard to express, even love, without swearing. There are descriptions of some dirty sex at few places.

My take: To say that it is a petrifying, mesmerizing attention grabbing thriller would be an irony as the author through a sequence of actions and plot creates a spooky, daunting setting which makes you glide through the pages. Half way through the book you feel as if you know the entire plot but here comes the ace in form of some twist and turns leaving you again rapt and above all shocked!!! There are few spoilers of course, the coarse language and swearing and at places the dosage of psychology and science gets too heavy for liking. Despite the novel’s length and content, it is immensely readable and even succeeds as a page turner. All in all, a must read for all the thriller buff.

P.S: For more check http://www.harcourtbooks.com/TheEndOfMrY/landing.asp

~*~Drona-Music Review~*~ Not Enchanting At all

Dhruv Ghanekar!!!!! Who? Even I was confused when I heard his name for the first time but when I looked for him I was shocked to know that he is an immensely endowed guitarist and was earlier with “Chakravyuh”, the band featured in Rock On and also a part of the composer duo Ashu-Dhruv who composed music for movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Broken Thread, White Noise and Bombay Boys and duo is also known for Blue Frog (to know more check http://bluefrog.co.in/cms/home.html) which promotes niche and non-mainstream music. Besides, Dhruv use to compose jingles under the label of Smoke Music and now with DRONA, he is making his debut as a sovereign composer. Drona, a much awaited socio-fantasy-adventure-mythological-action movie featuring AB ka baby oopss Abhishek Bachchan as a superhero, Priyanka Chopara as his love interest and Jaya Bachchan. Drona is directed by Goldie Behl (dreary Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai Fame) and movie is set to release on October 2nd. Lyrics of the movie are by a newbie Vaibhav Modi. Here is my take of the music.

1. Drona: Album starts with the track Drona crooned by Dhruv himself in his husky baritone and suits the theme of the movie. His voice is a sort of amalgamation of two great singers Lucky Ali and Adnan. Besides lending his voice to this stylish-groovy-catchy anthem he also worked on the guitar for this track. This song is about the larger-than-life character of Drona and how he will save the earth. It should be the background title track that will keep on coming through out the movie. The music arrangement of song is appealing one with a lot of attractive reverberations, ups and downs, loops and sound effects, specially the use of chores and sunidhi who keep on humming drona drona which mix very well with the lead singer.

"Kahin door sehra ke saaye mein, Machla tha koi toofan.

Aur ek maseeha ke aane ka,Likh ke gaya elaan, Drona."

In spite of having mundane lyrics, this song is worth hearing because of Dhruv’s peculiar voice and finicky musical arrangements specially the use of guitar where he proves his mettle aptly.

Drona REDUX: In this track the singers changed their positions and finally Sunidhi got hold of centre mike and Dhruv takes a backseat giving his voice to Drona Drona only. This track can also be classified as a remix track due to disc beats attached with the song. Though sunidhi did an OK job but some how the earlier version sounds superior because of the invigorating and calm touch of Dhruv’s voice.

2.Oop Oop cha: Next track is Oop Oop Cha. The starting of the song is quite attractive where Dhruv used very interesting instruments with lots of metallic sounds and synthesized notes along with flute that give song a pleasant starting and then queen-of-item-numbers Sunidhi holds the center stage for this dance number along with Nandini Srikar. The USP of this track is an interesting orchestra arrangement that give the song needed thump with the use of metallic flute tone and African-calypso-rap repercussion. But but but here comes the culprit…the ordinary proletarian lyrics that destroy the charm of this techno-friendly-dance-track. But one thing is true that Priyanka is looking HOT!!!!! and that would be the only attraction that can save the song otherwise it would be a listen and forget song.

Fair Play mix: this song is same as the older one with additional rap by Bob Omulo and with more electronic sounds but the output is same……. “DUHH”

3.Bandagi: After trying his hand on western instruments and metallic flutes, Dhruv tried soft sitar and tabla reverberation in this sweet-romantic-love-ballad “Bandagi”. This semi-classical-romantic track is crooned by Sunidhi (at very low pitch) and Roop Kumar Rathod. The best thing about the song is minimal use of keyboards and signing taking the lead. Even the lyrics of this track are apt. Roop Kumar Rathod’s proves his mettle through high quality singing and gives his best to this track. Use of flute, sitar, jaltarang, and tabla along with the background alaap gives edge to this song and make it feel-good-to-ear type of song. This song will be a treat for the lovers of soft music.

“Pal chin Pal chin Uljhi Uljhi ek raina

Dhadkan dhadkan bhikhre bikhre se chaina

Milon chali hai gum si ye khamoshi

Kitna bhi samjhaun mann ye mane ne

Teri bandagi…Jeene na jeene na de teri bandagi”

4. Nanhe Nanhe: Next track “Nanhe nanhe” is a tranquil and pleasant lori in sugary vocals of an ultra mellifluous Sadhana Sargam along with Nandini Srikar. Sadhana’s control over her vocal is amazing and in song she sounds like Lata in "Ek Tu Hi" at places because of the alaaps and beautiful change in the pitch. This is going to be one of the best Lori of present time due to superb lyrics and use of sweet-sounding metaphors which gives it a distinct identity. Dhruv has brilliantly fused Indian raags with western instrument. The best part of the song is the excellent use of the flute at the concluding part. Loved it

“Nanhe nanhe taron jaise naina,

taron jaise pyaare pyaare naina

nainano me chupa ke rakhe,

meethe sapnesapno ka shor meeche,

to jo pakon ke neeche sapne churain tere chaina,

Nanhe nanhe taron jaise naina”

5. Khushi: The last track of album is Khushi which is a Jazz track crooned by Shaan along with ample support from Suzzane D’mello, Francois Castellino, Dean and Sunaina Gupta. This is a conversation-type-masti with lovely use of saxophone, trumpet and drums. This song will surely remind you of title track of “Jaane tu ya jaane na” but this track does not have that appeal in it and somehow Shaan’s voice is not suiting this song. Lyrics of the song are on philosophical side as "Raat aur hum saath mein Ro liye Has diye. Aur gunguna ne lage."

My verdict: What I thought about the music of DRONA is that it would be GRAND but what I heard is interesting but not Grand. Few of the songs are good and they will find their audience. The most important thing I observed that each track of drona has two singers a lead singer and a backing one (who is more prominent than the chorus singer) and this really add the charm to the song, be it alaap of Sunidi in the title track or Nandini Srikar supporting Sadhana Sargam. Besides, I can also feel the touch of A R Rehmaan on the music of DRONA specially in Nanahe and Khushi. So due to the unconventional music arrangement and score Drona sounds different from the league but still fails to make its impact. May be work with movie..i will give 2 and half star out of 5.

~*~1920-MuSiC ReViEw~*~ Stand Apart From the Rest

What are you going to do when you see the names of “Pandit Jasraj, Parveen Sultana, Shubha Mudgal, Asha Bhonsle and Kailash Kher” on the cover of an Album?Gonna take it?? Yes I did the same... Last weekend I was at planet M looking for the Album of Kidnap (which was not released that time). When I went to the CD station and found one CD in side that, I pushed play button and the voice I heard was so different and haunting that I have to pick up the cover to check the singer and after that I was lighter by a couple of hundred bucks more. That CD was of 1920, a periodic-romantic-horror by Vikram Bhatt.

After “Raaz” Bhatt gave several flops as Aetbaar, Jurm, Ankahee, Red, Speed, Life Mein Kabhie Kabhiee etc and finally he is back to the formula that gave him his biggest hit and comes up with a romantic supernatural thriller 1920. Being a hit or not, Vikram Bhatt movies have always been good on musical part and so the hopes from this album was also high (at least to me). The music of this album his given by Adnan Sami whereas the lyricist is Sameer, who gave several hit albums together. Here is may take of the album

1.Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada: This was the song that I heard at Planet M and this one forced me to buy this CD. This track has been sung by Pandit Jasraj (who is basically known for his classical base and I think in this album, for the first time he is giving his voice to a movie song) with immense fervor. In this romantic track Adnan used an appealing fusion of traditional and contemporary instruments and sounds that gels well with the mood of the song. The use of female chorus makes this deep composition a treat-to-hear. Sameer’s meaningfully eloquently apt lyrics get cordially rewarded when they get the voice of maestro.

“Meri Palko Mein, Tere Sapno Ka Dar Hai,

Mere Is Dil Mein Teri Chahat Ka Gum Hai

Meri Rag Rag Mein Tu Bas Tera Prem Samaya Hai Samaya Hai

Meri In Saason Mein Ab Teri Sanson Ki Sargam Bajti Hai

Vaada Tumse Hai Vaaada, Hooo Vaada Tumse Hai Vaaada

Janmon Ka Pyar Ka Dard Ka Hooo Saathiya”

Besides the long Alaaps at the concluding part shows the flawless power of classical singing by Pandit Jasraj. But now coming to the shortcoming of the music, in this classical-inspired-fusion-based music arrangements virtuoso’s voice got lost somewhere (especially when he sings in lower baritones) due to the overpowering arrangements. But overall, the fusion of classical singing with modern arrangement is infact inimitable and this track is worth-hearing number if one wants to hear an almost perfect fusion. This song really grows on repeated hearing.

2. Vaada Tumse Hai Vaada: when I heard the lengthy starting Alaaps, I was sure that this must have been crooned by some classical singer and BINGOO! When I read the name on cover I was shocked to see the name of another luminary classical music veteran Begum Parveen Sultana (Who sung "Hame Tumse Pyar Kitna" in movie Kudrat and got Filmfare Best Female Playback Award in 1981 and I am a die-hard fan for her “Bandishes” and stupendous "dherena","dheem ta nana"s). This track sounds completely different from the first track (although uses the same lyrics) due to characteristic pitch of her. The use of modern music arrangements and specially the sprightly electric guitar tune through out the song give great artistic melodic values to the songs. This song is again a treat for all traditional singing lovers which even after fusion remain Classical at the core.

3. Bichua: Next track contains more surprises for you and you will find Shubha Mudgal, classy folk singer, warbling the folkish track “Bichua” which is an item number (with a touch of Qawalli) featuring the so called goddess-of-item-songs Rakhi Sawant. This track is already doing well on music channels. The way Shubha, sung the song it is going to make you feel that no one could have done better job then her. The energy, the passion and the dedication she showed while singing this not-so-easy song is superb and her voice amazingly go well with Rakhi Sawant. The music arrangement of this song is of typical Indian type (use of harmonium, dhol, sarangi and “Dhol Na Dhol Na Mere” through out the song) but there is something missing in this song. Club mix: The club mix of Bichua is going to be a treat for fast music lovers where the disco beat fillers and synth used in the song gives it a pacy impact.

“Jab Dass Jaaye Bichua, Zeher Chadayein Bichua

Bada Tadpaaye Bichua, Bach Ke Tu Rehna Zara”

4. Aisa Jalta Hai Jiya: Well not satisfied with surprises? No problem, next track gives you legendary Asha Bhonsle crooning an attention-grabbing and mesmerizing romantic number, “Aisa Jalta Hai Jiya”. In this song you will find classical Asha giving voice to song of loving and yearning. The music arrangement is of 60’s style giving it a feel of “kahin deep jale” but this one is a bit fast from that legend. Lyrics are simple but apt.

“Bechein Mere Mann Ka Mayura, Lagta Hai Tanhan Jeevan Adhura

Tann Mein Sabhi Hai Birha Ke Jhula, Ab Toh Piya Ke Adhron Ka Pyala”

5. Tujhe main pyaar karun: Next track completely belongs to Kailash Kher where he used his dismal and expressive voice to generate a lingering feeling. Use of soft keyboard notes, poignant violin and sumptuous female Alaaps through out the song gives song the feeling it needs and this one is supposed to be a background song delivering an escalating sense of vanished love. This track is worth listening more than once.

“Dilon Ki Baat Nahin Janthe, Yeh Sab Zuban Waale

Vafa Ka Jurm Samjhte Hai Yeh Sab Jahaan Waale

Agar Yeh Jurm Hai Toh Yeh Jurm Baar Baar Karoon”

6. 1920 theme: At the end of album comes a lonesome instrumental number showing a wonderful piece of work by none other than Adnan Sami who mixed soft and synchronized piano and violin to give this instrumental. A perfect ending of album.

My take: The music of 1920 gratifies the requirements and circumstances of the film. This album has an elegant and unusual classical music feel that may not work for lovers of fast music but it would be a great listening experience to the virtuosos as Pandit Jasraj (who for the first time giving his voice to a movie song) and Parveen Sultana along with Asha, Subha and Kailash kher. "Vaada Hai Tumse Vaada" stands out as the most striking and will fulfill the need of classical singing lover whereas "Bichua" featuring Rakhi will surely draw crowds in theatres because of its coarse appeal. Now coming to the cons of the album, at few instances the music overpowered the vocals, but nonetheless the soundtrack of 1920 is mellifluous. I would easily give 4 stars out of 5 for the originality of the album and perfect singing.