tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post113596956777712737..comments2023-05-11T15:54:46.183+05:30Comments on Little Shop of Random Thoughts: This and That Bloggettes:Krishna Kumar. Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136795853601102962006-01-09T14:07:00.000+05:302006-01-09T14:07:00.000+05:30i thought mat damon was pretty decent in 'the tale...i thought mat damon was pretty decent in 'the talented mr.ripley'. he just needs to take on the right role, i guess. <BR/><BR/>btw, have you seen 'before sunrise' and 'before sunset'? they're each built on nearly two hours of constant unremitting dialogue between a man and a woman. they not only sustain viewer interest throughout, they maintain and nourish it. amazing stuff, brilliantly scripted. was reminded of them when we were reading 'love letters' yesterday. forgot to mention it then.eyefryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07965731594675005620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136650986391182702006-01-07T21:53:00.000+05:302006-01-07T21:53:00.000+05:30@ Anand / Srini...titles bother me, deeds worry me...@ Anand / Srini...<BR/><BR/>titles bother me, deeds worry me... anytime I might be levied property tax! I would rather live a tenant of hearts where it's love against lucre which is the root cause of all evil!Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136599507388664042006-01-07T07:35:00.000+05:302006-01-07T07:35:00.000+05:30AnandSrini's "Sir"ing me has nothing to do with kn...Anand<BR/><BR/>Srini's "Sir"ing me has nothing to do with knighthood. He just indicates am too old, lol! And yes, there is something about Margazhi. Ven Pongal does play a role in that I guess!<BR/><BR/>@ antickpix<BR/><BR/>well, Umpire Hariharan has been surviving the job much like a few others from Pakistan, Billy Bowden and some rank bad umpires by the grace of THE OVERALL BOARD. Have you noticed, with no irreverence to Anil Kumble, everytime Hariharan umpires, Kumble performs better. Is there a conncection, now?Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136546300557267382006-01-06T16:48:00.000+05:302006-01-06T16:48:00.000+05:30"Umpire: K Hariharan instructed SC Ganguly to stop..."Umpire: K Hariharan instructed SC Ganguly to stop bowling after he was repeatedly found running on the protected area. The prescribed process of two warnings was followed before imposing the penalty on SC Ganguly."<BR/><BR/>Clearly the work of his enemies.antickpixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12503297005949074308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136543509310321862006-01-06T16:01:00.000+05:302006-01-06T16:01:00.000+05:30And Aash... antickpix... Dada has done it again. H...And Aash... antickpix... Dada has done it again. He's a thoroughbred street fighter. Inspite of Bengal losing in the traditional way to TN, Saurav has salvaged his skin with a 3 wkts, 59, 2 wkts and 88 performance. Yaaaahooo! Now I just keep my fingers crossed as he crosses the border to Pak - his Achilles heel!Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136543356824554342006-01-06T15:59:00.000+05:302006-01-06T15:59:00.000+05:30Srini,Shall visit the blog. Have bookmarked. Shall...Srini,<BR/><BR/>Shall visit the blog. Have bookmarked. Shall link it as well. All the best.Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136543306208352802006-01-06T15:58:00.000+05:302006-01-06T15:58:00.000+05:30@ Anand...yes, we shall get along well sure as St....@ Anand...<BR/><BR/>yes, we shall get along well sure as St. Peter and Pearly Gates. Especially, today after I have been anointed with the title Acharya. I always go about telling some close acquaintances and loved ones of mine that my calling is in the religious direction what with a strong Kethu up my chart! For starters, today, I started working with a school where the kids are taught to call their teachers Acharya. Acharyan just an 'n' away. Hopefully in my next birth I would like to reach that elevated position, if my sins of this birth are washed away before my next! :-)) And then we really can have a proper Dvaita-Advaita-Vishishtadvaita doctrine debates. But for the moment, I have a long road to travel in my enlightenment. (Marghazi always inspires me in the theological direction!)Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136543055470635852006-01-06T15:54:00.000+05:302006-01-06T15:54:00.000+05:30Bloke Vinayak... you've actually seen Deadman? Who...Bloke Vinayak... you've actually seen Deadman? Whoa... you're a man after my heart! Whoa, what a movie! I love that movie for its sheer post-modernist, deconstructivist take on Westerns! And yes... I remember Gilbert Grape... and Mexico... well, that has always been the hallmark of good actors! They enjoy their work irrespective of the crap around them. It's the internal motivation and self-accountability to excel in what you do for your own sake that pushes boundaries. And Depp deppinitely is upp there! Oh, where does Matt Damon figure here, lad? See you, anyway, hopefully in the evening.Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136531931364205122006-01-06T12:48:00.000+05:302006-01-06T12:48:00.000+05:30Johnny Depp is definitely the acting icon of this ...Johnny Depp is definitely the acting icon of this age. I still remember watching Deadman and What's Eating Gilbert Grape back to back some 8 or 10 years ago in the golden age of cable tv (I was still an impressionable adolescent then), when - and this will sound corny as hell - the whole world suddenly opened up for me. I'd only seen the usual Hollywood fare till then. Ans since, not once has he been a let-down. Even in the ill-fated Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Depp was the only redeeming factor, because he seemed to have so much fun at what he was doing. I somehow can't see Tom Cruise being so effective as Captain Jack "Keith Richards" Sparrow or Jude Law as Willy Wonka.<BR/><BR/>And as for the best actors of the last decade or so, I would probably also include Ethan Hawke, George Clooney, Benicio Del Toro and Mat Damon somewhere in the list.eyefryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07965731594675005620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136475747563990002006-01-05T21:12:00.000+05:302006-01-05T21:12:00.000+05:30Dear AnandI totally agree. But then, there is an a...Dear Anand<BR/><BR/>I totally agree. But then, there is an ambivalence about this post. It is made up of several small blogs. And each one may make republishing difficult and to naviagate cumbersome for the visitor. Hence the idea.<BR/><BR/>I also agree about Matarese Circle. My favourite along with Rhinemann Exchange and Parsifal Mosaic (which is bulkier even by James Michener standards, I guess!). Well, Crichton... he makes a good read. I don't buy his arguments nor theses anyway. Will await your relativity post.Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136138054218717372006-01-01T23:24:00.000+05:302006-01-01T23:24:00.000+05:30Yes, I agree that KB can be excessive (sometimes p...Yes, I agree that KB can be excessive (sometimes painfully so, such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), but for the most part, his Shakespearean adaptations have been excellent (and I'm indebted to him for personally for introducing me to the Bard. Henry V was the movie)<BR/><BR/>Yes, Malcom McDowell is also an extremely talented actor (though slightly typecast after A Clockwork Orange). It was Tom Hulce in Amadeus though, not him.<BR/><BR/>You should check out Hoffman. An extremely versatile actor. Some of the best films he's appeared in are Paul Thomas Anderson ensemble pieces, but for his acting, I'd say my favourites are 'Love Liza', 'Almost Famous' and 'Magnolia'. He's one of those guys who has flown under the radar, hardly ever headlining films, appearing in many small yet memorable roles. He is getting very strong buzz for 'Capote' right now though.<BR/><BR/>(sorry, I get all info-heavy when talking abt film)antickpixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12503297005949074308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136125889421566142006-01-01T20:01:00.000+05:302006-01-01T20:01:00.000+05:30@SriniA very warm wishes towards a good 2006 to yo...@Srini<BR/><BR/>A very warm wishes towards a good 2006 to you too!Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136125858140976482006-01-01T20:00:00.000+05:302006-01-01T20:00:00.000+05:30@Rajiv:yes, i agree that about Gary Oldman. As for...@Rajiv:<BR/><BR/>yes, i agree that about Gary Oldman. As for Branagh... sometimes he doesn't extend beyond KB the stage actor that we know him primarily as. There is an essential difference in the handling of a role in terms of the psychological response and the attendant physical manifestation, breadth and width of gestures, facial hysterics upon closeups...etc. Sometimes Branagh tends to be excessive forgetting a camera is not stage. I haven't paid much attention to Philip Hoffman. But yes, Gary Oldman is definitely nearly up there. I adore him much as I adored another actor of a not too distant generation... Malcolm McDowell. His portrayals in both Caligula and Amadeus in the titular characters were excellent.Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136125559783683792006-01-01T19:55:00.000+05:302006-01-01T19:55:00.000+05:30Srini thanks for reading it though. I thought they...Srini thanks for reading it though. I thought they were going to be terse each a-piece. In the end, because of the space format at blogspot, they ended rolling spools of cursor.Krishna Kumar. Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10562252516411763929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10951659.post-1136095401466052462006-01-01T11:33:00.000+05:302006-01-01T11:33:00.000+05:30I'm limiting this to the post on J Depp..While he ...I'm limiting this to the post on J Depp..<BR/><BR/>While he may or may not be the finest actor of his generation, he is certainly the most accessible. <BR/><BR/>The thing about Depp is that the critics love him for his (obvious) talent and off-beat choice of roles, which the fans love him for his looks and (again) performances. He also has a certain aura about him, being neither in the mold of a clean cut Brad Pitt (though Pitt himself may have changed) nor a(now borderline crazy) Tom Cruise, but someone totally different. Perhaps being to Tim Burton what De Niro was to Scorcese (once upon a time) helps. <BR/><BR/>But, IMO, Ed Norton runs him extremely close (not streets and autobahns), for he too has the ability to morph into a particular character, whether a lovelorn priest or a neo-nazi or a...umm...into the fight club guy. Norton hasn't been in the limelight for the past couple of years, and that may have hurt him. <BR/><BR/>Another couple of very fine actors (though lesser profile than Depp and Norton) are Philip Seymour Hoffman and David Thewlis, though the latter does occasionally take on 'paycheck roles'. I'd include Gary Oldman and Kenneth Branagh on that list too. <BR/><BR/>Looking forward to your blog on Jarmusch (I myself had started a Terry Gilliam appreciation post, but never got around to finishing it. Rotting as a draft somewhere)antickpixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12503297005949074308noreply@blogger.com