Mr.India and Cards On The Table - End

Mr.India (1987) Directed by Shekhar Kapur, written by Salim--Javed
This film is delightful, I laughed, I cried and had a great time. Sridevi turned out to be an excellent performer and her HawaHawai song was a blast. Anil Kapoor was not annoying and the kids were lovely. Amrish Puri made a great villain. I'm hush hua!

I have finished Cards On The Table and loved it as I did all Ms.Christie's book. The killer turned out to be a suprise yet again.

Jab We Met

Jab We Met (2007) Directed and written by Imtiaz Ali.
This is a great rom-com. And it held up excellently in the second viewing too. In fact I liked it even better.

Tonight I plan on finally giving Mr.India a try (if insaallah the disc works that is). Anil Kapoor & Sridevi, here I come!

Cards On The Table

I have started to read an oldie but a goodie today. I like Agatha Christie, a very focused writer and my fave is Hercules Poirot, little Belgian detective. Oddly I never warmed up to Miss Marple but I have decided to read some of the novels where she is the murderer catcher.

Malice - End

I have finished Malice and I liked it. I'm beginning to see the appeal of Ms. Steel. She is a good story telling. The prose is a little dry for my taste but I enjoy it nonetheless.

The Girl of His Dreams - End and Malice

I have finished The Girl of His Dreams last night and it was the most depressing Brunetti novel I have read. It is a good novel but not one that will make you feel light hearted post reading. Now started Malice by Daniele Steel.

Chak De India

Chak De India (2007) Directed by Shimit Amin, written by Jaideep Sahni
I like this film just as much as I did in the first viewing. SRK is a great entertainer and the film has a pro female message. In this day and age it is easy to forget how many ways women are opressed around the world.

The Sting

The Sting (1973) Directed by George Roy Hill, written by David S. Ward

It was a great film. Loved everything about it most of all the rythm and Paul Newman. I used to think Robert Redford was so dreamy but he sort of paled in comparison to Paul.

It is a great pleasure to know nothing about a film and watch it and like it this much.

The Girl of His Dreams

Last night I started reading another one of Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series. This is called The Girl of His Dreams and it is good as usual. Despite the fact that I don't really like neither the detective nor his family, I find them good and compassionate characters and Ms.Leon's descriptions and literary suggestions are always welcome. Brunetti used to read Roman history, now he is reading Greek classics. And despite the fact that Henry James is not a writer I enjoy (excluding Washington Square which is great) I like Dickens although not as much as his wife Paula does.

The Big Sleep and If Only You Could See Me Now - End

The Big Sleep (1946) Directed by Howard Hawkes, written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman
I liked it very much but the big part of it is Mr.Bogart who was excellent. Every nuance, every mannerism, every smile was spot on. I don't see what the big deal is with Ms.Bacall though. She kept flaring her nostrils and it annoyed me. She is very beautiful though.

I finished If Only You Could See Me Now and I'm a bit embarrassed but I cried. It is a silly book really nothing special but somehow I was touched towards the end. The second good purchase of the second hand book fair.

If Only You Could See Me Now - Still

Last night I caught up in the computer's web and then felt so tired that I couldn't watch a film. I'm strangely reluctant to watch Mr.India. Everytime I intend to, I change my mind and watch something else. It is probably Anil Kapoor...
What I did was read more of If Only You Could See Me Now, it is very light, a bit preachy (about Carpe Diem, not abandoning our imagination, not being afraid to dream etc.) but also entertaining.

Dil Ka Rishta and If You Could See Me Now

Last night I have watched

Dil Ka Rishta (2003) Directed by Naresh Malhotra, written by Shabbir Boxwalla, Vrindra Rai, Naeem Sha
The only good thing to say about it is that Aishwarya Rai is so beautiful, she is a sight for sore eyes.

I have also started reading Cecelia Ahern's 'If You Could See Me Now'. I got it very cheap at the second hand book fair and the only thing I know about her is that she wrote a book called P.S: I Love You which Hollywood made a film out of, which I have seen and liked a lot. The book is going good so far and I'm enjoying it. Apparently I like Irish.

Khabi Khushi Khabie Gham & The Empty Chair - End

Khabi Khushi Khabie Gham (2001) Directed and written by Karan Johar.
This the third time I watched this film and I like it just the same. It is an excellent melodrama with a stellar cast who do their fame justice. With three films on his belt (all of them I have seen more than once) Mr.Johar is one of my favorite directors.

I have finished The Empty Chair and even though I thought I was a bit used to Mr.Deaver's twists, he managed to suprise me yet again with so many twists and they all made sense too. I liked just as I did the previous Lincoln Rhyme novels.

Casablanca

Casablanca (1942) Directed by Michael Curtiz, written by Julius J.Epstein, Philip G.Epstein and Howard Koch.

Today I was looking for something good on TV and I came across Casablanca. It somehow touched me more than when I watched it the first time. Something to do with being more mature I guess. I love this film and Humphrey Bogart even more now.

Lagaan

Lagaan (2001) Directed and written by Ashutosh Gowariker

I was planning to watch Veer-Zaara again but strangely the dvd didn't play (although it did when I first watched it) and I decided to re watch Lagaan. The first impression stayed the same, it is an allright film, entertaining but there is something lacking... I don't really know what but it is lacking just the same.

The Empty Chair

Last two nights I was very tired so only read some of The Empty Chair, another Lyncoln Rhyme novel written by Jeffrey Deaver. I like this character and I like Mr.Deaver's prose. The book flows very well.

Also I got it for an extremely cheap price (along with some other treasures) at a second hand book fair :)

The Bride Hunt - End

I liked The Bride Hunt very much despite the fact that the three main female leads are not the sort of people I'd like in real life. I don't mind reading more Jane Feather books.

Mother India

Mother India (1957) Directed by Mehboob (Khan), written by Wajahat Mirza and S.Ali Raza.
I would have liked this film more if I hadn't known about the private lives of its two leads. Not saying anymore for the fear of spoiling it for anyone who may stumble here by accident.

The Bride Hunt just got "racy" and I can't help but laugh at the descriptions of the sexual acts. I still like the other stuff so will not give upon it.

Then She Found Me and The Bride Hunt

Then She Found Me (2007) Directed by Helen Hunt, written by Alice Arlen, Victor Levin and Helen Hunt. Adapted from Elinor Lipman's book.
It was an OK film, nothing special but not that bad either. I liked that Helen Hunt didn't do any plastic surgery.

I also started a so called romance novel -but not of the racy kind-. It is written by Jane Feather and called 'The Bride Hunt'. So far I'm enjoying it very much since it describes the clothes and more importantly, the food.

My Best Friend's Girl, The Maltese Falcon and The Lost Symbol - End

Last night I have finished The Lost Symbol and I liked it very much despite being quite familiar with the formula. No suprises for me but I was entertained nonetheless.

And today was the day of resting and watching films on TV. The first was

My Best Friend's Girl (2008) Directed by Howard Deutch, written by Jordan Cahan
Ok this was bad, really bad. Dane Cook is not a rom com lead, maybe he is ruggedly handsome in real life but he doesn't look good on camera. Oddly enough he is not that bad an actor. But he just doesn't work. I like Kate Hudson, mostly because I like her mother very much and I also loved her debut film, Almost Famous. She is OK here but I was wondering what was she doing in this stupid film.
I got lucky in the second film

The Maltese Falcon (1941) Directed and written by John Huston, adapted from Dashiel Hammet's novel
I liked it a lot. Not only it was visually very very pleasing, great composition but also it was written very well and acted just as good. And Humphrey

The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth (2009) Directed by Robert Luketic, written by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith

It was not as good as I was expecting it to be. The problem I think is Katherine Heigel, who is not a bad actress but certainly not suited to rom com genre. Gerard Butler did well though. All in all not a bad timepass but nothing special.

The Lost Symbol

Last night I read The Lost Symbol and it is going great. If the prose and the rythm of the novel is good than a formula novel can be very entertaining (for instance Mary Higgins Clark)

Angels & Demons and The Lost Symbol

I'm at an inadverdent Don Brown kick at the moment. Last night I have watched Angels and Demons and today started to read his latest book The Lost Symbol.

Angels and Demons (2009) Directed by Ron Howard, written by David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman, adapted from Dan Brown's book of the same name.
I loved it. It is a lot better than the book and very very entertaining.

Improbable - End

I have finished Improbable today, reading a hefty portion last night and even though I like it I'm not as in love with it as everyone else I talked about it.

Life on Mars, Episodes VII and VIII

Last night were episodes seven and eight of Life on Mars, now I'm sort of hooked but will not immediately look for the second season. If I came across a deal of the dvd, I do not plan on giving it a pass though.

Life on Mars - Episodes V and VI

I have cried during episode five of Life on Mars. I'm really into the series now and like the lead character Sam Tyler very much.

Meanwhile Improbable is going good but I'm somehow distant towards this book, time flows while reading but I don't feel the urge to read it and do nothing else.

Life on Mars Episodes III and IV

Last night was Life on Mars again and I liked these two episodes much better. The drama and the police action were well integrated and the pace was better too.

Life On Mars

Last night I watched two episodes of Life on Mars, a British TV show and despite loving the concept and the art direction (sets and costumes were great) and the actors, I'm probably spoiled by the USA TV cop shows which are more focused. So far there is not a balance in Life in Mars between the drama and the police cases which our heroes have to solve. And I don't think it is an editing problem.

30 Days of Night and Improbable

30 Days of Night (2007) Directed by David Slade, written by Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson (adapted from the comic by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith.
I liked it. Clean and decent cinematography, focus on the action and yes there are some faults, some jarring but overall it is a good and interesting horror film. I wish the Twilight lovers would see it and maybe their perception of vampires may change a bit.


I have started Adam Fawer's Improbable and so far it is a good action novel but I have yet to see the special something which made it a huge bestseller in Turkey (almost everyone I know has read it)

Titus and The Mayor of Casterbridge-End

Titus (1999) Directed by Julie Taymor, adapted by Julie Taymor from Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.
It is an interesting film, very violent and visually excessive but in a showy stylistic way. The actor who played Aaron, Harry Lennix was very impressive and left an impact with his performance. I have seen him in other things, mainly TV shows but never this impressed. He stood out among all the other good actors.
Well also I needed subtitles for this one.

I finished The Mayor of Casterbridge and it is a great novel. Not only exciting and interesting but also literarily nourishing.